Franklin County dropped from “watch list”; Fairfield, Pickaway raised to Level 3 alerts

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COLUMBUS – The number of Ohio counties designated as in “red alert” Level 3 public emergencies as defined by the state’s Public Health Advisory System jumped from seven to 12 on Thursday, with three being designated to the state’s watch list.

Five counties, including Fairfield and Pickaway counties, have been added to the list of the “red alert counties.

Franklin County remained at the second-highest alert level but was removed from the “watch list” of counties in danger of moving to the highest (purple) level due to a decrease in hospital admissions, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday at his Statehouse coronavirus briefing.

There were 11,122 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Franklin County on Thursday with 1,170 hospitalizations, nine more than the day before. The county had reported nearly 2,200 cases per day over the previous 14 days, exceeding the “high incidence” definition set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DeWine said.

Three Level 3 counties – Butler, Hamilton and Cuyahoga — are on the “watch list.”

Ohio Dept. of Health

Residents in counties at Level 3 are required to wear masks in public. Clermont, Lorain, Summit and Wood counties joined the list, which already included Butler, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Montgomery and Trumbull counties.

Residents in Huron County, downgraded to a Level 2 alert, are no longer required to wear a mask in public but DeWine says they are strongly encouraged to do so.

The state on Sunday reported 1,378 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 for a total of 65,592 with 3,058 deaths

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DeWine also announced guidelines for reopening college campuses in the fall and said additional funds would be available for schools, colleges and universities.

The Department of Higher Education, in consultation with colleges, universities, the Department of Health, and health experts across the state developed guidance to help campuses safely reopen, which includes policies and procedures on COVID-19 testing, DeWine said.

To help elementary and secondary schools and colleges address the high costs associated with safety measures, DeWine says he and leaders of both parties in the General Assembly are requesting that the Ohio Controlling Board approve an initial request on Monday to allocate $200 million for higher education and $100 million for K-12 schools from the Coronavirus Relief Fund.

“This funding comes from federal CARES Act dollars to help schools meet their unique individual needs. We intend for this funding to be very flexible to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” DeWine said

The funding request is in addition to the more than $440 million in direct federal support that Ohio K-12 schools are receiving and the more than $190 million in direct federal funding provided for higher education and will be available to all public and private schools and for all two and four-year colleges and universities, both public and private, including adult career tech providers, he said.