COLUMBUS – Ohio has begun turning the “dimmer switch” on the state’s economy, reopening businesses and workplaces that have been shut down for over a month, throwing hundreds of thousands of Ohioans out of work.
Even while some of those workers return to their jobs, Gov. Mike DeWine is not ready to lift a statewide stay-at-home order that was scheduled to expire at midnight Friday.
“It’s important, as we try to go back to work and as we go back to work and get this economy moving and get more people working that we do it carefully,” DeWine said.
Read the new “Stay Safe Ohio” order
Non-essential medical procedures which do not require an overnight stay are being allowed to resume starting Friday under DeWine’s “Reponsible RestartOhio” plan (see illustration”) and Central Ohio’s three largest health care systems – OhioHealth, OSU Wexner MC and Mt. Carmel – say they will begin performing elective surgeries. Dental and veterinary practices are also allowed to reopen Friday.
Businesses and medical practices that are allowed to reopen must practice health and safety guidelines: maintain safe distances between workers, employees must wear face coverings and wash hands frequently and surfaces must be sanitized often.
Under the plan, manufacturing, distribution and construction businesses can reopen on Monday and retail and consumer services on May 12.
Salons, restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues and many other businesses will not be allowed to reopen until later, prompting objections from lawmakers, business owners and members of the public.
“I fully understand everyone’s anxious to get moving again but this is a balance. We are trying to open up as fast as we can but, at the same time, protect the public,” DeWine said.
The extension of the stay-at-home order does not apply to those going to the businesses that will reopen over the next two weeks.
There are 18,027 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 975 deaths.
The Ohio Department of Health call center is open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to answer questions regarding COVID-19 at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).
Click here for the latest information:
Ohio Department of Health coronavirus website
Ohio COVID-19 Dashboard displays the most recent preliminary data
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Two Democratic state lawmakers are calling for unemployment benefits to be extended to Ohioans who choose not to return to work due to circumstances caused by the outbreak.
State Representatives Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) and Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) sent a letter to DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted urging them to allow workers to be eligible for benefits if they do not return to work because they feel unsafe due to health concerns, provide care for a family member who had COVID-19, or do not have access to childcare.
More than a million Ohioans filed unemployment claims in the past six weeks.
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The 23 branches of the Columbus Metropolitan Library will remain closed while plans are in the works to initiate a phased reopening.
Library officials say they are finalizing a plan to open a few locations in May with limited services, depending on the availability of appropriate personal protective equipment for staff and guidelines for customers.
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DeWine announced Thursday that the state has provided more than 1.1 million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Ohio’s state prisons, including more than 100,000 N95 masks; 256,000 gloves; 684,000 procedure masks; 10,000 provider gowns; and 100,000 cloth masks for inmates
“This equipment is vital to the safety of our corrections staff and the inmates who they guard. Our goal is to keep a 90-day supply of the most critical equipment,” he said.
Over 4,000 inmates and staff in Ohio’s prisons have tested positive for the coronavirus.