Ohio has 4th COVID-19 victim; new restrictions due

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COLUMBUS – A 53-year-old Stark County man is the fourth person in Ohio to test positive for the novel coronavirus and is the first case of “community spread,” meaning the man had not traveled outside the United States.

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 from the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The announcement by Gov. Mike DeWine came Wednesday afternoon as the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

Ohio Department of Heath director Dr. Amy Acton described the outbreak as a “once in 50 years” event.

There are currently 24 people in Ohio are being investigated as potential cases.

Acton has been tasked with signing an order from her department governing mass gatherings in the state. While confirming that sporting events, such as NCAA men’s basketball tournament games, would be covered DeWine did not go into further detail.

He has already encouraged organizers of large indoor events to cancel or postpone them or hold them without spectators.

Some large organizations are getting ahead of the curve: Columbus City Schools announced that all evening events are canceled through the end of March, including concerts, plays, school dances and any other non-essential events that include outside spectators.

The Blue Jackets announced late Wednesday that they would not admit fans to upcoming home games.

Ohio State has cancelled the April 11 football Spring Game and announced that attendance at all athletic events for the remainder of the academic year will be closed to the public.

College basketball’s March Madness became the highest-profile sporting event to forego fans during the coronavirus pandemic. NCAA President Mark Emmert says he made the decision to conduct both the men’s and women’s tournaments with only essential staff and limited family in attendance and the NCAA is looking into moving the men’s Final Four from Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to a smaller arena. The tournaments begin next week.

The Big Ten announced that attendance at all Men’s Basketball Tournament games will be limited to players, coaches, event staff, essential team and conference staff, TV network personnel, credentialed media, and immediate family members of the participating teams.

DeWine said the state was limiting the number of visitors to nursing homes to one per day, who must be screened. The elderly are one of the most vulnerable groups.

DeWine said he and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted are limiting their public appearances and meetings and he is urging members of his Cabinet to employ teleconferencing and other technology to limit face-to-face meetings and to encourage the employees in their departments to work from home.

He said the state would not issue a travel ban but said residents, especially the elderly should ask themselves “is this trip really necessary?”.

The World Health Organization has declared that the global coronavirus crisis is now a pandemic. In the U.S., more than 1,000 people have been infected.