COLUMBUS (AP) — Governor Mike DeWine has signed a bill into law that would allow small businesses to remain open during a health emergency so long as they show they can meet safety protocols required of businesses not mandated to close.
Backers of the legislation said it was needed to address the disparity early on in the pandemic when large big-box stores full of customers and employees were permitted to keep operating while smaller businesses, some selling the same goods, had to close.
The Republican DeWine signed the bill sponsored by GOP Reps. Shane Wilkin and Jon Cross on Wednesday.
Unemployment claims fall to new low
The number of Ohioans collecting unemployment benefits fell to a pandemic-era low last week, according to data provided to the U.S. Department of Labor by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, an indication that the economic recovery has maintained its pace.
The agency reported that the total number of traditional claims filed from Nov. 21 through Nov. 27 was 39,653, 17% lower than the week before.
The 7,519 first-time claims for benefits was up 4% from the previous week but filings for continued claims last week plummeted 20%.
Ohio’s unemployment rate in October was 5.1%.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week even though the U.S. job market has been rebounding from last year’s coronavirus recession.
Jobless claims climbed by 28,000 to 222,000 from the previous week’s pandemic low 194,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, fell below 239,000, a pandemic low.
Hospitalizations reach alarming levels
There are currently more people being treated in hospitals for COVID than any time since January, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.
The group reports that there were 3,888 patients in Ohio hospitals who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the highest number since Jan. 12, shortly after the peak of the pandemic’s 2020-21 winter surge.
The 425 new hospital admissions reported by the Ohio Department of Health Wednesday was 75% above the three-week average.
The state reported 8,944 new cases Wednesday, the highest number since Nov. 26 and 66% higher than the three-week average.