The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic affected the city of Columbus, Ohio, as Ohio's stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations into 2021. The shutdown led to protests at the Ohio Statehouse, the state capitol building.
One of many business closure signs in the Short North
Protesting the shutdown and business closures at the Ohio Statehouse on April 18
The Ohio National Guard passing out Mid-Ohio Food Bank meals, March 23
The Central Ohio Transit Authority is a public transit agency serving the Columbus metropolitan area, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It operates fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services.
COTA bus and shelter, 1980
Agency headquarters at the William J. Lhota Building since 2008
10 E Broad / W Broad, one of the system's most-trafficked routes