Governor's Office COVID-19 Update | May 14, 2020

Below are the updates from the May 14, 2020 press conference with Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted, and Dr. Acton. There will be no press conference today. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Monday (5/18).

Here’s the news from yesterday's briefing:

• Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
• 24,800 confirmed cases
• 1,557 probable cases
• 26,357 total cases
• 4,718 hospitalizations
• 1,388 confirmed deaths
• 146 probable deaths
• 1,534 total deaths
• 1,268 ICU admissions
• More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE.

• Beginning Sunday, May 31, childcare providers in Ohio will be permitted to reopen if these providers can meet required safety protocols. The full list of mandatory and recommended best practices is attached. To assist in the reopening of child care centers, Ohio will seek to use more than $60 million in federal CARES Act funding to provide reopening grants to all of Ohio’s childcare providers, including family childcare, childcare centers, and both publicly-funded and private providers. More information on how to apply will soon be posted to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' website. Governor DeWine also announced that Ohio will fund a research project to study best practices for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in child care settings. Information gathered from the study will continue to inform child care regulations moving forward.
  What Parents Should Know About Sending  Children Back to Child Care is attached.

• Beginning Tuesday, May 26, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) locations in Ohio will be permitted to reopen for certain services if these facilities can meet required safety protocols. Services that can be accomplished online should still be done online. More details on online BMV services can be found at oplates.com. A full list of mandatory and recommended best practices will be available soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

• Beginning Tuesday, May 26, gyms and fitness centers in Ohio will be permitted to reopen if these facilities can meet required safety protocols. A full list of mandatory and recommended best practices will be available soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

• Beginning Tuesday, May 26, sports leagues in Ohio will be permitted to operate if these leagues can meet required safety protocols. This applies only to non-contact and limited-contact sports. A full list of mandatory and recommended best practices will be available soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov. Note that safety protocols for high-contact sports are in development.

• Beginning Tuesday, May 26, public pools and club pools that are regulated by local health departments in Ohio will be permitted to reopen if these facilities can meet required safety protocols. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas. Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water. A full list of mandatory and recommended best practices will be available soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov.

• Beginning Friday, May 22, horse racing in Ohio will be permitted if these operations can meet required safety protocols. Spectators will not be permitted. A full list of mandatory and recommended best practices will be available soon at coronaviurs.ohio.gov. Note that this does not apply to casinos and racinos. Safety protocols for these venues are in development.

• Beginning Thursday, May 21, campgrounds in Ohio will be permitted to reopen if these facilities can meet required safety protocols. The full list of mandatory and recommended best practices for both campgrounds and campers is attached.

• Attached are the Director of Health Orders for reopening personal services and restaurants and bars.

• For the week ending May 9, 2020, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported 51,125 initial jobless claims to the U.S. Dept. of Labor. Over these last eight weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $2.4 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 587,000 claimants. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, 90% have been processed, with only 10% pending. Pursuant to an order from the U.S.  Department of Labor, Ohio will release unemployment numbers on a weekly basis as soon as the national report is released on Thursday.

• Ohioans can apply for unemployment benefits online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at unemployment.ohio.gov. It is also possible to file by phone at 877-644-6562 or TTY at 888- 642-8203, Monday through Friday 7AM to 7PM, Saturday 9AM to 5PM, and Sunday 9AM to 1PM. Employers with questions should email [email protected].

As always, Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov and the Department of Health hotline, 1-833-4-ASK-ODH are great resources for those who have questions.