COVID-19 State Updates: May 4, 2020

By Sunday, Ohio had 19,914 cases of the coronavirus, with 1,038 deaths.

Please see the amended Ohio Stay At Home Order effective through 11:59 p.m. EST on May 29, 2020 with the exceptions announced as part of the Responsible Restart Ohio plan.

• More detailed information on the Responsible RestartOhio plan can be found at www.coronavirus.ohio.gov/ResponsibleRestartOhio

• Beginning May 1, 2020, all medically necessary procedures that do not require an overnight stay in a healthcare facility, or do not require inpatient hospital admission and minimizes use of personal protective equipment, may move forward. This includes regular doctor visits, well-care checks, well-baby visits, out-patient surgeries, imaging procedures, and diagnostic tests. Dental services and veterinary services may also proceed if a safe environment can be established.

• Beginning May 4, 2020, manufacturing, distribution, and construction businesses may reopen if these businesses can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees.

• Beginning May 4, 2020, general office environments may reopen if these businesses can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees.

• Beginning on May 12, 2020, consumer, retail and services, may reopen if these businesses can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees.

• As part of the Governor’s order, the following establishments are to remain closed due to their increased risk of potential COVID-19 exposure:

Schools and daycares

Dine-in restaurants and bars (carry-out is still permitted)

Personal appearance and beauty businesses

Older adult daycare serveries and senior centers

Adult day support or vocational rehabilitation services in group settings

Entertainment, recreation, and gyms

Governor DeWine announced the members of two separate advisory groups for recommendations and best practices when reopening dine-in restaurants, and personal service locations (hair salons, barbershops, etc.) throughout the state.

• A list of individuals serving on the restaurant advisory group can be found here.

• A list of individuals serving on the personal services advisory group can be found here.

The state has less than two months to fill a big budget gap.

• The state fiscal year runs through June 30, by which point the Ohio Constitution requires a balanced budget.

• Some estimate the deficit is approximately $2.4 billion.

The Ohio House of Representatives will meet on both May 6 and 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The Ohio House Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday where testimony will be offered on HB 388, legislation regarding out-of-network care.

• The legislation, sponsored by Representative Adam Holmes, received its last hearing in mid-December and can be viewed here.

For the week ending April 25, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported 92,920 initial unemployment claims, taking the state’s coronavirus-related six-week total to 1,057,486.

• “To put that in perspective, the total for the last six weeks of claims is 341,974 more than the combined total of 715,512 for the last two years,” ODJFS said in a news release.

• More than $1.45 billion in unemployment compensation payments has been distributed to more than 481,000 claimants over the last six weeks, according to the department.