Coronavirus: Butler County remains Level 3 for 9th straight week

Butler County remained at Level 3 in the state’s coronavirus advisory system for the ninth straight week in the newest data released on Thursday.

No Ohio counties rose from Level 3 to Level 4, which is the most serious level, but the state’s map became more red as more counties went to Level 3.

Butler County had 305.9 cases per 100,000 population in the past two weeks, which is six times what the state considers an appropriate level.

Hamilton County was listed as Level 3 with an asterisk last week, meaning it was on the cusp of moving to purple Level 4, but that didn’t happen on Thursday.

Butler County reported 9,182 cases on Wednesday in its latest update, which was a 10.2% increase from the previous week.

Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday continued to stress that Ohioans should follow precautions like wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands to slow the spread as the state reported 3,590 cases in the last day, breaking the state’s previous record of 2,858.