COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine said today his announcement regarding the initial steps of re-opening the state economy will be on Monday.
Many had expected the announcement Thursday, but DeWine said the plan is not yet ready. When asked about the delay, the governor said he was unaware he had given the impression it could come Thursday.
“We’re trying to get this right,” DeWine said during his daily press briefing. “We are also trying to look at exactly where we are in terms of testing.”
DeWine said he is looking at “a lot” of variables that need to be reviewed further.
“These are significant decisions that impact peoples’ lives from a health point of view and an economic point of view,” the governor said. “We want to do it in a way that we’re not going to have to turn around and come back.”
DeWine’s briefing came just hours after the state reported the number of new, recent unemployment rates had nearly reached the 1 million mark. It also came on the same day the Ohio Dept. of Health reported 577 new coronavirus cases and 46 more deaths.
Ohio’s total number of cases was reported at 14,694 with 656 deaths. Of those, 508 cases are “probable,” as are 26 of the deaths.
Richland Public Health today reported the county has 68 confirmed cumulative positive COVID-19 cases with three probable cases and seven suspected cases. There are 20 cumulative hospitalizations and one death. RPH said 26 people on the cumulative list have recovered.
President Trump has said his national guidelines advise states to have a 14-day downward trend of new cases before beginning to re-open. Ohio’s cases have spiked upward this week, though some of that is attributed to a rapid rise of cases in two of the state’s prison populations.
ODH Director Dr. Amy Acton didn’t participate in the briefing. Dr. Mark Weir of the infectious disease and sustainability institutes at The Ohio State University, outlined a presentation that Lt. Gov. John Husted summed up as distancing, disinfecting and masks.
Weir said masks and social distancing work to slow the spread of the virus and that proper disinfectants can kill 99.9 percent of the virus on surfaces.
DeWine didn’t directly answer a reporter’s question when asked if he has the authority to require Ohio residents to wear masks.
“The more we are all able to do to protect each other, the faster we can open up the economy. There is a direct relationship there,” the governor said.
DeWine said he would have “good news” on Friday as the state works to ramp up testing efforts. About 98,000 of Ohio’s 11.7 million reisdents had been tested as of Wednesday with 14 percent testing positive.
