COLUMBUS — Governor Mike DeWine says law enforcement officers and health officials will begin conducting safety checks at bars around the state.
That announcement Monday comes after photos on social media showed people drinking on crowded patios during the first weekend bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen.
I've always tried to be blunt about everything we are finding. I've been candid in saying that in this reopening phase, there is a significant risk. But, there are significant risks if we do not open up. It's up to all of us to open our economy but to do this in a safe way.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) May 18, 2020
DeWine says it is the responsibility of bar and restaurant owners bar owners to control their customers and those that don’t could wind up in court or lose their liquor licenses.
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“And, if they cannot control the environment, they should make the wise judgment not to open or, if they get in a situation where they can’t control it, they need to close,” DeWine said at his televised coronavirus briefing Monday.
The enforcement team will operate as part of the Ohio Department of Safety’s Ohio Investigative Unit and will make sure businesses are operating under the regulations included in DeWine’s Stay Safe Ohio order.
Health departments in Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland are among those investigating several complaints about a lack of social distancing at crowed bars and restaurants over the weekend.
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The Ohio Restaurant Association said it believed reports of establishments not operating in accord with the governor’s guidelines were “isolated incidents.”
The Restaurant Association says nearly half of Ohio restaurants experienced economic losses of more than 70%.
Under DeWine’s state reopening plan. bars and restaurants began serving customers on outdoor patios Friday and will open for indoor dining Thursday.
The plan requires patrons to remain seated when drinking or eating, so Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein has said one rule of thumb should be that a business not allow more customers through the doors than they have seats for.
Klein’s office investigates possible criminal complaints against bars and restaurants, including Stand Hall, the Short North bar where photos of a crowded patio made national news over the weekend.
Klein says his office is “still gathering photos, body camera footage and all evidence and facts in order to make a determination of how to move forward” in the case.
DeWine says Ohioans should remember that, as the state reopens more businesses and restores more activities, precautions against the coronavirus are as important as ever.
“It is a threat and, if you are not worried about yourself, you should worry about your mom, your dad, your grandparents. You should worry about strangers
The state reported Monday that there were 28,454 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio with 1,657 deaths.
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DeWine this weekend gave a virtual commencement address for Miami University’s online graduation ceremonies as the Oxford-based university awarded 4,356 degrees.
DeWine was originally scheduled to be the speaker for the in-person ceremony, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We will come out of this. We will be stronger,” DeWine said. “Our scientists and our business people — and among them now many of today’s graduates — will be the ones to find new treatments and a vaccine and innovative and creative economic solutions. ”
DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine are both graduates of Miami University and three of their grandsons are members of the class of 2020.
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One of many casualties of the pandemic, the Komen Columbus Race For The Cure has been rescheduled for later this summer.
The fund-raising event to support breast cancer research was supposed to be held on Saturday but was postponed because of restrictions on large gatherings.
It has been rescheduled for August 1.
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Just days after announcing it would end hazard “hero” pay to front-line workers, Kroger says it will give them extra “thank you” pay through mid-June.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the move comes after an outcry from the grocery store’s union, the United Food and Commercial Workers International.
The extra pay is $400 for full-time workers and $200 for part-time workers to be paid out in two installments on May 30 and June 18. Hazard pay was a $2 per hour supplement.
The union says it will continue to push for hazard pay for as long as the pandemic continues.
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The Ohio Supreme Court has announced that recent law school graduates may temporarily practice law in Ohio under the supervision of an experienced attorney while they wait to take the bar exam.
The decision announced Thursday dovetailed with the court’s decision to postpone the exam scheduled for July until Sept. 9-10, due to the new coronavirus.
Qualifying graduates can apply for the supervised practice option beginning June 15.
Their supervisors must be attorneys in good standing who have practiced at least three years.
They must take the bar in September and their temporary practice privilege will end if they don’t pass.