06/02/2020

2020-06-02 OH Gov. DeWine COVID-19 Update

Updated daily at 2 p.m. - https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/ 

On Friday, June 5, we will be joined by Candace McGraw, Chief Executive Officer of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). Topics include plans CVG is implementing to enhance personal safety for passengers, the strength of the airport’s cargo business, the airport’s long-term focus on ensuring CVG is a cost-competitive place to do business and the state of the air travel industry.  If you’d like to participate, please RSVP here.

New orders/actions/measures

• All surgical procedures may resume. 
• The Controlling Board approved new economic development grant and loan programs to assist small minority- and/or women-owned businesses and businesses in the Appalachian region, as well grants to manufacturers to retool to produce PPE.

The Governor opened by speaking briefly about the ongoing planning that is taking place for schools in the fall.  He said that he fully intends to have schools open in the fall, with students in the classroom.  They are planning toward that goal now.  The state’s plan will provide broad guidelines to local districts in terms of things that need to be accomplished to protect the health of students and staff and that each local district will develop plans and procedures to implement those guidelines.  DeWine stressed that the opening date for school is fully in power of the local school board and that barring the unseen, the state does not intend to dictate opening dates. 

Governor DeWine announced that healthcare providers may resume performing all surgical procedures.  Providers must have a plan in place to monitor and ensure adequate PPE.  They must also have a plan to address any potential future surges in positive COVID cases and allow for adequate testing of patients and staff.  The Governor also urged providers to continue to use telehealth where possible.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has been working with the local police to assist during the protests that happening around the state.  Col. Richard Fambro, Superintendent of the SHP, joined the press conference to discuss the patrol’s efforts of the last few days.  The Patrol has been involved in crowd control efforts and managing traffic around the protests.  The Ohio National Guard was also called upon to help in Cleveland and Columbus, where some of the protests resulted in significant property damage and vandalism.  Adjutant General John Harris joined the press conference as well to discuss the Guard’s efforts and the fact that 150 guardsmen are being deployed at the request of the Secretary of Defense to assist in Washington, D.C.  He stressed that in Cleveland and Columbus, the Guard is there to assist at the direction of the local officials – they are not in control.  The Governor thanked and praised the local police forces, the Highway Patrol and the National Guard for their good work in managing the protests. 

Governor DeWine spent some time again acknowledging the disparities that exist in the state.  He highlighted many of the programs that his administration has already initiated and reiterated his commitment to those programs and the recommendations that the Minority Health Strike Force are developing.  He acknowledged that there is still work to do in the area of policing – improved training, better oversight, diverse recruitment, better openness and transparency and making sure officers with issues cannot be rehired by other departments.  DeWine said he has been in discussions with legislative leaders and expects to announce specific proposals on Thursday.

In response to questions, the Governor said they also intend to announce reopening plans on Thursday for venues like museums and zoos. 

Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced three targeted economic development programs that were approved by the Controlling Board yesterday afternoon:

• Ohio PPE Retooling and Reshoring Grant Program - Ohio businesses and nonprofit organizations need personal protective equipment, which remains in short supply.  We are working to solve that issue through the ingenuity of Ohio companies and their employees. The Ohio PPE Retooling and Reshoring Grant Program provides funds to help businesses innovate and create solutions to the PPE shortage.
• Small and medium-sized manufacturers that retool existing facilities to make PPE or reshore PPE production to Ohio are eligible. With $20 million available, the funding provides up to $500,000 per facility. 
• Needed PPE: Surgical masks, Gowns, Gloves, Community masks, Face shields, Thermometers, Hand sanitizer, Cleaning and sanitizing products, Other products and solutions.
• Ohio Minority Micro-Enterprise Grant Program - Many Ohio small, minority- and women-owned businesses have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ohio Minority Micro-Enterprise Grant Program provides $10,000 in funding to help these companies through the current crisis and set them up for the future. 
• To be eligible, businesses must have been certified as a Minority Business Enterprise or woman-owned EDGE-certified business as of Feb. 29, 2020; have 10 or fewer employees and up to $500,000 in annual revenue; and have not received funding under the federal CARES Act.
• To qualify, businesses must be current on all taxes and private or public loans. Grants will be awarded on first-come, first-served basis.
• Appalachian Growth Capital Loan Program - Many small businesses in Ohio’s Appalachian region have been hit hard by the COVID-10 pandemic.  The Ohio Development Services Agency and the Governor’s Office of Appalachia will provide $10 million in funding to help these businesses through the crisis.  This new loan program provides funding to the Appalachian Growth Capital LLC, which is a U.S. Treasury-Certified Community Development Financial Institution that provides small business financing in the 32-county Appalachian region of eastern and southern Ohio.
• Businesses located in the 32-county region with less than $40 million of revenue in the most recently completed tax year are eligible. 
• Appalachian Growth Capital will offer loans to small businesses at 2 percent interest. 
• The maximum loan amount is $500,000, and businesses will have the ability to defer payment for up to six months.

For more information: https://businesshelp.ohio.gov/ under the Resources for Economic Support/Business & Nonprofit Support tab.

Other items of note

• North Carolina Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, on Tuesday rejected the GOP’s plans for a full-fledged convention in Charlotte, telling Republican officials the only way the convention would move forward is with proper health protocols in place.  “The people of North Carolina do not know what the status of COVID-19 will be in August, so planning for a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings is a necessity,” Cooper wrote in a letter to the Republican National Committee. Trump and Republicans want a 50,000-person event.
• The number of reported coronavirus cases in the United States has surpassed 1.8 million, including more than 104,000 deaths.
• The pandemic will haunt the U.S. economy for the next decade, costing nearly $8 trillion by 2030, according to a report released Monday by the Congressional Budget Office.
• As Ohio’s unemployment insurance program nears insolvency, state lawmakers, including Reps. Craig Riedel (R-Defiance) and George Lang (R-West Chester), are preparing legislation allowing the state to sell employer-backed bonds to help stabilize the system, Cleveland.com reports. The legislation, which lawmakers expect to introduce in the next week or two, would be the first major change in years to shore up the state’s unemployment insurance program, which was underfunded even before the pandemic.

Ohio COVID-19 Data Curves

The following are graphic representations of reported cases, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths using Ohio Department of Health data and expanded CDC definitions.

Friday – 367,526 tested – 3.14% of the population – 9,804 additional tests since Thursday

Saturday – 379,552 tested – 3.25% of the population – 12,026 additional tests since Friday

Sunday – 388,468 tested – 3.32% of the population – 8,916 additional tests since Saturday

Monday – 398,066 tested – 3.41% of the population – 9,598 additional tests since Sunday

Tuesday – 407,450 tested – 3.49% of the population – 9,384 additional tests since Monday

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

Key websites

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

Office of Small Business Relief - https://businesshelp.ohio.gov/ 

Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19 - https://repurposingproject.com/ 

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

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

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

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