3 Week Spring Break in Ohio
Ohio is instituting a three-week spring break for schools and banning all visits to nursing homes in hopes of fighting COVID-19. Governor Mike DeWine says this comes at the request of the nursing homes themselves. All visits will also be stopped at state psychiatric hospitals.
DeWine said, “This is not something that we want to do. But no one knows the safety of their patients better than nursing homes themselves.”
He also banned gatherings of 100 or more people in the State. This applies to arenas, theaters, parades, festivals, and auditoriums. It does not include retail, restaurants, factories, or church services as well as weddings and funerals. He emphasized that this does not affect the election on March 17.
The 3 week spring break will begin on Monday, March 16. DeWine says he realizes this could be a huge inconvenience for families but is necessary to stop the spread of the virus.
DeWine said, “Government can only do so much and should do so much. It’s incumbent on us to protect ourselves, our family members, and total strangers.” He said people needed to be responsible and cited the example of a young person going to a crowded space and inadvertently spreading the virus to an older person in their family.
He said he had instructed his cabinet members to allow all employees who can work from home to work from home and that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services had requested that people not come into the office but instead contact them by phone or online.