Franklin County is the first in Ohio to be designated at level 4, or “purple” on the state’s color-coded COVID-19 alert map.

Purple indicates ‘severe exposure and spread’ of the virus.

This coincides with a stay-at-home advisory issued by Columbus and Franklin County officials a day earlier.

Governor DeWine says all 88 Ohio counties are considered ‘high incidence’ and that no county is at lowest level, yellow.

Nearly 3,900 people are currently hospitalized in Ohio for treatment of COVID, nearly four times as many as at the first peak of the virus in April.

Hancock County and most of its neighbors are at level 3, the red level.