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Coronavirus Pandemic: Stay-Safe-Ohio order replaces stay-at-home order

The stay-at-home order has expired and a new order Stay-Safe-Ohio order is in place until May 29, according to The Ohio Department of Health.

“The change in verbiage was intentional,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. “This represents a transition to the next phase of how we’re going to live our lives.”

>> What does the new order look like?

Husted said the change in name for the order was done to show the state has transitioned into a new phase.

The order will be superseded as new developments occur during the month, so Gov. Mike DeWine cautioned staying tied to the May 29 date.

DeWine held his 2 p.m. briefing on the state’s response to the virus.

The following announcements were made:

  • DeWine said the public having confidence in its safety is key and influencing his decisions as the state reopens. “I know some of you think we’re not moving fast enough. Some think we’re going to fast. We’re trying to get it right,” DeWine said.
  • The state has a restaurant advisory group and barbershop/salon advisory group that have begun working. Ohio is also putting together groups for libraries, travel/tourism, sports, outdoor recreation, gym, theater, childcare, adult daycare, etc.
  • Next week, the governor said he expects to be able to tell restaurants and hair salon owners what day they will be able to open.
  • The state is planning to release more Monday on how additional testing will be deployed across the state.
  • Campground closures under the new order exclude cabins, mobile homes or other self-contained units meant for single families and where pre-existing full season agreements have already been established.
  • DeWine said there have been conversations with the White House about President Trump coming to Ohio soon.

President Trump held a briefing in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon on the federal response to the virus.

Here is the highlight:

  • The FDA is allowing the emergency use of an experimental drug, remdesivir, which appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster. It is the first drug shown to help fight COVID-19. The intravenous drug from Gilead Science would be for patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn were among those at the briefing. According to preliminary results from a government-sponsored study, the drug shortened the time to recovery about four days on average, the Associated Press reported. Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institutes of Health, said this week the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients. The drug has not been tested on people with milder illness. Gilead will donate 1.5 million doses, O’Day said, and is increasing production to make more.

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Friday afternoon, there are 18,743 cases in the state, 1,002 deaths, and 3,634 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Ohio has an estimated population of approximately 11.7 million, census records show.

The state’s long-term care facilities have seen 16 percent of the total cases in Ohio.

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Of the state’s positive cases, 21% are from Ohio’s prisons. At those prisons, there has been an increase in testing.

[ Local cases, deaths reported to Ohio Department of Health ]

There have been 139,725 people tested for coronavirus in Ohio. In the state, 2,997 cases are health care workers, which is 16 percent of the cases.

It is important to note the number of confirmed cases is not a true reflection of actual cases in the state because of the limited amount of testing available. The hope is that the number of cases will be more accurate because of the expansion of the testing standards.

Things you need to know today, Friday:

  • Phase 1 of RestartOhio launches today with the resumption of all health procedures that do not require an overnight stay in a hospital. Dentist and veterinarians services can resume normal operations as well.
  • Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper, Public Health -- Dayton & Montgomery County, said Thursday that businesses not in compliance with the state’s plan will be investigated and given a cease and desist order if applicable.
  • After announcing the delivery of 4.1 million pieces of personal protection equipment (PPE) to health care facilities, DeWine on Thursday said 1.1 million pieces of PPE have been sent the last few weeks to the state prison system, where some inmates have tested positive.
  • MORE TESTING CAPACITY: Ohio is hoping to start fairly soon testing more of the general public for coronavirus, DeWine said.
  • CONTACT TRACING: The ability to track cases (contact tracing) will become important because testing capacity will increase as the state reopens, Cooper said.
  • FACE COVERINGS: Employees will be required to wear face coverings, but PHDMC cannot enforce the order, Cooper said, so employers must step up and make sure employees are wearing face coverings -- except for the exceptions spelled out by the DeWine administration.
  • GRADUATIONS: School districts and residents are being asked to comply with the spirit of recommendations issued by the state’s health and education departments, which strongly suggest virtual graduation ceremonies as the safest way to go, Cooper said. PHDMC is not approving or disapproving any graduation plan, he said, noting, “We have confidence our school districts will make the right decisions.” The state health department’s statement on graduation ceremonies is on the PHDMC website at phdmc.org/coronavirusupdates
  • DONATIONS FOR MASKS: The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents to donate clean, cotton fabric (preferably white, gray or tan) for the making of masks/face coverings. Please drop off donated cloth, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., to the St. Vincent DePaul loading dock, 945 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd. The Montgomery County EMA has delivered PPE to 232 organizations throughout the area.
  • ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE: Michael Dohn, M.D., PHDMC medical director, said he is worried about clerks at convenience stores who are being exposed to hundreds of people who may be asymptomatic. Clerks and sales force workers are being put at risk by people who don’t wear masks, he said, because nobody knows how many asymptomatic individuals there are walking around.
  • COVID-19 ‘NOT MANMADE’: President Trump said he didn’t see the Office of National Intelligence report, made public Friday, that concluded the coronavirus is “not manmade.” According to national reports, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded the new coronavirus was “not manmade or genetically modified” but said they are still examining whether the origins of the pandemic trace to contact with infected animals or an accident at a Chinese lab. The statement comes from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the clearinghouse for the web of U.S. spy agencies. Trump and his allies have continued to say an infectious disease lab in Wuhan, the epicenter of the Chinese outbreak, was the source of the global pandemic.
  • FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF: President Trump said he “wouldn’t mind” having flags lowered to half-staff to signify national mourning for COVID-19 victims.

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Other things you need to know today:

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