Governor Mike DeWine has issued several new recommendations in the wake of an uptick in coronavirus cases.
The number of coronavirus cases in Ohio has recently gone over 90,000 and almost 3,500 people have died, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Thirteen Ohio counties are under the Level Three Public Health Emergency. Level Three means that a county has “very high expose and spread” of the coronavirus.
DeWine noted that the virus was spreading to more rural counties on Twitter.
Here is this week’s Ohio Public Health Advisory System map. The good news is that more people are wearing masks in our urban counties and we are seeing the spread slow. The bad news is our more rural counties are turning orange with significantly more spread taking place. pic.twitter.com/JvW68jU7og
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) July 30, 2020
As a result of the spread, the governor announced a new set of guidelines first at a press conference and later on Twitter.
Today I am announcing that we will be separating out our 10-person mass gathering guidance back into a separate order. The order will be the same in many ways as it is today, however, this order offers clear recommendations to remind Ohioans when gatherings can be done safely.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) July 30, 2020
The Ohio Department of Health published a press release on the order saying:
The order will still permit Ohioans to go to work, worship, go to school, and acquire goods and services, however, this order will offer clear recommendations on safely holding gatherings.
- Gatherings at a household or family residence should be limited to close friends and family and are recommended to be 10 visitors or less.
- Residents in a red or purple county, as designated by the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, should limit hosting or attending gatherings of any size.
- Wear a mask at all times at gatherings and maintain physical distance.
- Use take out, outdoor dining, or indoor dining only when strict social distancing can be maintained.
- Take extra precautions if you go to bars or nightclubs, where use of masks typically is inconsistent and drinking alcohol can lead to less social distancing.
- Protect anyone with serious medical conditions at home by social distancing at home, wearing a mask, and using high levels of personal hygiene.
- High-risk individuals should take extra precautions to limit the number of people they interact with.
- Make the group of people you interact with most often as small as possible and make sure that they are taking appropriate COVID-19 precautions – even if you are just gathering with family friends or neighbors at your home.
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Ben Kolodny is a reporter at The Ohio Star and the Star News Network. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Tips can be sent to [email protected].
