COLUMBUS – Economies have come to a shuddering stop as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, unleashing a wave of layoffs and business closings.
Ohio says it has received 139,468 applications for unemployment benefits online in the past five days, compared with less than 5,000 the week before.
-File unemployment claims online here
While he says he hears some states’ online application websites struggled, Ohio’s kept pace with the demand, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.
Have you already filed for unemployment? No need to worry about adding the mass-layoff number. Our system will take care of it and process your claim. Need to file? Visit https://t.co/hm9nwYkCHk#COVID19OhioReady #InThisTogether pic.twitter.com/rz1XIH9LBh
— OhioJFS (@OhioJFS) March 19, 2020
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
During a daily Statehouse briefing with Gov. Mike DeWine, Husted urged workers and employers both to use the state’s workforce development website to retrain employees – or “up-skill” — for new jobs.
“When we come out of this, the digital economy will be even more powerful than it is now and having tech skills are going to be really, really important,” he said.
In the week ending March 14, the number of people in the U.S. seeking unemployment aid soared by 70,000 to 281,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.
The state confirmed Ohio has 116 cases of the coronavirus in 24 counties, including 10 in Franklin County and two in Delaware County.
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Businesses large and small have been whalloped by the COVID-19 slowdown.
Ohio’s application for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program was approved, meaning small businesses and nonprofits in the state can apply for low-interest, long-term loans of up to $2 million to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact, DeWine announced Thursday.
In other developments, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, which benefits breast cancer research, has been postponed due to the pandemic.
Susan G. Komen Columbus takes the health and safety of our participants, supporters, volunteers, staff, and the patients and survivors we serve very seriously. As a result, we have made the hard decision to postpone the 2020 Komen Columbus Race for the Cure. A new date will be announced soon. -statement from Susan G. Komen Columbus
The state says it’s expanding the use of Medicaid to allow Ohioans to access doctors online or over the phone. DeWine says he signed an executive order relaxing regulations to allow Medicaid recipients to contact health care providers from their homes, reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection for patients, families, and health care workers.
Around the nation, blood centers are seeing supplies dwindle as blood drives are canceled during the coronavirus outbreak. Some of the most reliable donors — older people — are staying home. Blood has a short shelf life and regular donations are needed to replenish it. Even with elective surgeries canceled, hospitals will need blood on hand for trauma or other emergencies.
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor declared today that the Ohio Supreme Court will offer $4 million in grants from its budget to help local courts use technology to deal with the coronavirus crisis.