COLUMBUS – As the state reported the largest one-day jump in new cases of COVID-19 since July, Gov. Mike DeWine expressed concern that a spike may be coming after Ohioans celebrate Labor Day this weekend.
The state reported 1,157 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, a day after reporting 1,453 cases.
Total cases now number 125,767 with 4,176 deaths.
DeWine Tuesday attributed some of the increase, in part, to students returning to class at schools and colleges but he says federal and state officials are also concerned about families and groups gathering for the three-day weekend.
“Holidays are when we get together, we have fun. We can get together, we can have fun, but we’ve got to be very, very careful,” DeWine said.
Today's case numbers are the highest we've seen since the end of July. We believe this is due, in part, to schools and colleges returning to class. We must continue to do all we can to protect each other from #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/zQlf9xuYj2
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) September 1, 2020
He says, in the weeks following the Fourth of July holiday, the average number of new cases was 1,500 per day. The state saw several of its largest one-day hikes during late July and the rate of positive coronavirus cases was 6.5%. The positivity rate for the most recent seven day period was 4.4%.
DeWine says it takes one to two weeks for a patient to begin showing symptoms.
He encouraged Ohioans to continue regular hand-washing, social distancing, and disinfecting.
A statewide mask mandate remains in effect.
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BalletMet has cancelled its fall season, taking a beloved holiday tradition with it.
For the first time in 43 years, The Nutcracker will not be performed due to COVID-19, Artistic Director Edwaard Liang said.
“To say we are devastated is an understatement. We worked every possible angle to make it happen, but with current social distancing guidelines, it became clear that we couldn’t appropriately rehearse for or perform the show and keep our students and professional dancers safe. And that – plus the safety of our patrons – is our number one priority,” he said.
Approximately 30,000 people came to see dancers from BalletMet, BalletMet 2 and students from the BalletMet Academy perform the ballet as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra performs the iconic Tchaikovsky score.
Liang hopes to resume performances in large theater venues by March 2021.
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The rise of distance learning in Ohio schools, an elsewhere, has highlighted the disparity between some districts, where students have ready access to high-speed broadband internet connections that allow them to stream videos and remote classes and those where connections are too slow to accommodate the demands of remote learning.
The state has granted over 900 grant requests for money from the $50 million K-12 Broadband Connectivity Grant, funded through the federal CARES Act, to create hotspots and internet-enabled devices, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.
The grants will allow 121,000 students to gain high-speed internet in their homes and over 645,000 students will have greater access through schools that are increasing their public or mobile wi-fi so students can access the internet when they cannot connect at home, Husted said.
Husted also says Ohio’s Common Sense Initiative is using artificial intelligence to streamline broadband regulations.
The tool found over 300 definitions related to the regulation of broadband in Ohio rules or statutes across 25 different state agencies and 16 different definitions of “public utility” in Ohio law across five different agencies.
Husted says the initiative will create a clear and concise set of terminology for broadband providers to follow to make it easier to provide service.