03/25/2020

2020-03-25 OH Gov. DeWine on COVID-19

Last Updated: 03/25/20 (Updated daily at 2 p.m.) - https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/ 

New orders/actions/measures

• No new orders were issued today.

The Governor thanked the General Assembly for their efforts today to pass pandemic relief measures – the Ohio Senate voted this morning and the House is meeting now to act on House Bill 197.  The new measures include:

• Barring disconnection of public water service.
• Extending voting by mail to allow counting of absentee ballots postmarked by April 28 – this is in place of the Governor and Secretary of State’s proposal to hold an in-person primary on June 2.
• Making allowances for people whose licenses of various kinds will expire during the emergency.
• Granting local governments flexibility to meet remotely, with provisions for public participation.
• Waiving state testing and report cards for this academic year.
• Freezing EdChoice scholarship eligibility at current levels.
• Aligning the state tax filing deadline to the delayed federal deadline of July 15.
• Temporarily tolling criminal and civil statutes of limitation.

In addition to the standard data reported above, Dr. Acton added some new data points including

• 14,764 individuals have been tested
• 116 healthcare workers have tested positive (16%)
• 75 cases admitted to the ICU – approx. 40% of all hospitalizations

The Lt. Governor noted that the Dept. of Transportation is working to ensure that Commercial Drivers License regulations are being reviewed to ensure that CDL holders can continue to work and move goods.  He once again re-iterated that businesses just need to read the stay at home order to understand who is an essential business – the state will not respond directly to individual businesses as to whether they qualify.  Lt. Governor Husted again said:

• Read the plain language of the order - use your good judgment to interpret. 
• If you don’t qualify, consider yourself closed.
• Please don’t call law enforcement or health department to interpret the order – that is not their job to do that. 
• Businesses do not need a letter, certification or clearance to show they are essential under the order, but they should have a prepared rationale as to how the order applies in case asked. 
• If a business does qualify, they must be able to follow the safe workforce protocols in the order.  If a business cannot follow those protocols, they cannot remain open.
• If anyone sees a violation of the order, they can contact law enforcement or the local health department for enforcement. 
• Local health departments should not create new rules – they need to follow the order for consistent enforcement.  

He also stressed that the safe workforce protocols of the order will likely be in place for a long time after the stay at home order ends in order to ensure that workplaces remain safe.

First Lady DeWine joined the press conference again to speak to families about how to move through this time at home.  She continues to post recipes on her Facebook page for people to try at home.  The First Lady also encouraged families to sign up for the Governor's Imagination Library, noting that about 4,000 new families have joined the program since her last appearance. 

Note: For an archive of all COVID-19 related First Alerts from Calfee, which are separate from these emails and focused on specific business topics, please visit the Calfee COVID-19 Resource Center: https://www.calfee.com/covid-19-resource-center

Other items of note

• The national death toll in Spain surpassed 3,400 on Wednesday, making it the world’s hardest-hit country after Italy. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo, 62, tested positive for the novel coronavirus and has been hospitalized since Sunday with a respiratory infection.
• More than 435,000 people around the world have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. But it is not mutating significantly as it circulates through the human population, according to scientists who are closely studying the pathogen’s genetic code. That relative stability is encouraging news for researchers hoping to create a long-lasting vaccine.
• Political leaders in Washington reached an agreement on a record $2 trillion stimulus package, the third thus far, to rescue the economy. 

Key websites – New resources in red

General state updates - https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/

Closure order FAQ - https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/Stay-at-Home-Information/Stay-At-Home-Order-Frequently-Asked-Questions

Unemployment compensation - http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/CoronavirusAndUI.stm

Mental health resources - https://mha.ohio.gov/Health-Professionals/About-Mental-Health-and-Addiction-Treatment/Emergency-Preparedness/Coronavirus

Ohio benefits application - https://benefits.ohio.gov/

SharedWork Ohio - http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/SharedWorkOhio/

Support resources for adults - https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/resources/resources-for-adults-coping-with-the-covid-19-pandemic

Find your local health district - https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/find-local-health-districts

Job openings - https://jobseeker.ohiomeansjobs.monster.com/home.aspx

COVID-19 checklists - https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/COVID-19-Checklists/ 

Business resources - https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/resources-for-economic-support

Banking pandemic resources and relief programs - https://www.ohiobankersleague.com/customers 

Pandemic child care center information - http://jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/CoronavirusAndChildcareForFamilies/