Ohio Governor Mike DeWine did not make his expected announcement on when daycare facilities would open today. Instead, he hammered home his often-repeated message that Ohioans must do two things at once to fight COVID-19.
- Keep Ohioans safe
- Open up the economy
With Ohio retail and restaurants already scheduled to reopen, the Governor said that he didn’t have all the data necessary to make decisions on daycare or youth sports. We’ll cover that and other important points from today’s press conference.
Daycare Openings Delayed
Governor DeWine said he wasn’t ready to make an announcement as to when childcare facilities could reopen.
“Let me be quite candid. The mistakes that I have made through my long career have come about when I did not have all the facts. When I did not ask the right people. Reopening childcare centers is simply too important to do so without making sure we have all the best information. We continue to gather this information. I do not intend to move forward on opening childcare centers until we have the best science-based plan that we can put together.”
The governor said that he understood that families would need childcare in order to go back to work. But he said that Ohio must lead the nation in this area. He called it a ‘moral imperative’ to develop the best safety protocols in the county.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted said he’s been on the phone with gym owners and owners of recreational facilities to work on reopening plans.
Husted encouraged Ohioans to wear masks to show their support for reopening the state.
“It’s out of respect for the person you’re going to come in contact with. An employee at a store or restaurant that you’re going to come in contact with. They may be at home caring for someone very vulnerable. That’s what I mean by mutual respect.”
Liquor Rebate
DeWine had good news for bars and restaurants buying liquor. The businesses will receive a $500 rebate when they purchase through Ohio liquor agencies.
The rebates are instant. The $500 will be applied toward the next liquor purchase.
COVID -19 Numbers
- Suspected Cases 24,777
Confirmed Cases 23,400 - Hospitalizations – 4,413
ICU Admissions – 1,217 - Suspected Deaths – 1,357
Confirmed Deaths – 1,236 - Scioto County – 13
- SOCF – 8 tests pending
Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said that they’ve discovered that five cases began back in January. The information was available thanks to antibody testing.
“One of things about testing is that it is a snapshot in time. When you get tested, you could be early in the disease and test negative. Just because you’ve tested negative, doesn’t mean you won’t get it. Testing is not treatment.”
Dr. Acton said the important part about testing is that it allows contract tracing to help break the chains of transmission. Also, she said that there was no way to know how long immunity might last.
Ohio now has a testing capacity of 14,275 tests per day. Governor DeWine said capacity would reach 22,000 shortly.
Lessons Learned
Lt. Governor Husted said that Ohio has learned valuable lessons from the COVID-19 crisis. He said two important lessons were:
- The importance of bringing medical manufacturing to Ohio. The state should never have to depend on foreign supplies
- Need to expand broadband availability in the state.
He said he planned to continue to work with Ohio manufacturers to innovate.
No Youth Sports Decisions
The Governor said no decisions have been made on youth sports or day camps. “It’s important that young people have something to do during the summer. It’s important that people be able to plan.”
He said that he had groups working on this issue and that he planned to have guidance out shortly.
“The government shouldn’t have to micro-manage. We hope to have broad guidelines out soon.”
Dr. Acton said they’ve pulled together the best experts from all walks of life. She said people who run the programs as well as medical experts are working on guidelines.
