Ohio will remain shut down until at least May 1st. As cases of Coronavirus jumped to 2902 with 81 deaths, Governor Mike DeWine said the state’s lockdown will last at least another month. He also made some changes to the stay-at-home orders that you’ll want to check out.
We’ll break down five important takeaways from today’s daily briefing.
COVID-19 Numbers
Here are the most recent COVID-19 numbers from the Ohio Department of Health.
- Cases -2902
- Hospitalizations – 802
- ICU admissions – 260
- Deaths – 81
- Age Range – less than 1 – 99
- Counties – 75
- Adult inmates tested – 27
- Negative inmate results – 25
- Pending inmate results – 2
- Juvenile offenders tested -1
- Negative juvenile results – 1
- Pending juvenile results – 0
Governor DeWine said the death numbers might actually be higher. “The dangerous thing about this is that people can become infected and be spreaders without showing symptoms.”
Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said, “These are not just numbers. These are people that we love and care about.” She also said she thinks Coronavirus was in Ohio long before we were aware of it.
Stay-At-Home Until May 1
The Governor extended Ohio’s stay-at-home order until May 1. DeWine said he knows people have been making sacrifices but urged them to keep it up.
“Dr. Acton advises me it’s between April 15 and May 15. What you have been doing has been saving lives. Protecting our first responders. We’ve all seen the horror stories coming out of New York, coming out of Italy. What you are doing is buying time to do the things necessary so that we are not overrun.” He said he still wasn’t sure if that could be avoided in Ohio but that everyone was working together to prevent it.
DeWine said there are changes and additions to the orders based on input from citizens and leaders. The new rules start on Monday.
- Stores must establish a maximum number of people allowed in the business at a time. Each business must set and post a number.
- Dispute resolution panel for businesses that feel they are being treated differently
- Anyone traveling to Ohio is asked to self-quarantine for 14 days (exception for people who work or live along the border).
- Wedding receptions limited to 10 people.
- Swimming pools will remain closed unless it’s a family pool
- Organized sports are prohibited
- Garden centers will remain open
- Fishing allowed as long as social distance is observed
- State Parks are open unless it gets too crowded or social distance is not possible
Dr. Acton said, “I heard a quote today about the importance of timing. It spreads quickly but it makes itself known slowly. Everything about this lags a couple of weeks behind. You have to make the moves slowly. Ohio, you are making a difference. You are being strong. You are making tremendous sacrifices. You are saving lives. Please stay with us on this. Exercise some control on those errands. Do a lot of errands at one time. Moving quickly. Be aware of the people around us.”
When asked what he would say to Ohioans struggling under the lockdown, the Governor said, “I’m sorry. I wish it wasn’t like this. Stay with us. We’re gonna get through this.”
Ask Governor Questions on Twitter
If you have COVID-19 questions for Governor DeWine, you’ll have a chance to ask him via Twitter. He’ll participate in a nationwide #AskTheGov question and answer session, tonight at 7 pm. Use the hashtag #AskGovDeWine.
What To Do About Masks
Retail Workers Can Wear Masks
The Governor encouraged employers to allow employees to wear masks.
“As Dr. Acton explains it, they protect others as much as they protect you.” The Governor held up handmade masks and said that people in retail who wants to wear masks should be allowed to wear one. “I think that is a good thing.”
Call Battelle
The Governor asked hospitals to take advantage of the new mask sterilization technology offered by Columbus-based Battelle. DeWine picked a public fight with the FDA to get the technology approved over the weekend.
“To all of our hospitals, please contact Battelle. This is going to expand our capacity to protect our medical folks. They have the capacity. Please contact them.”
Ohio Unemployment
Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced some stark unemployment numbers for the state. Last week 272,117 people applied for unemployment. In two weeks 468, 214 people have applied for unemployment. More than the number that applied in all of 2019.
Husted said, ODJFS has added 300 new employees and expect to add 1,000 by the end of next week. “We know that it’s still not enough.”
He also announced a site listing essential businesses that are hiring. You can visit https://jobsearch.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/jobsearch/ to view the jobs.