Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced yesterday that the state will extend the stay-at-home order to May 1.

There are now at least 3,312 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Ohio with 91 deaths, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Eight of the confirmed deaths are from Miami County. In Ohio, 895 people suffering from COVID-19 have been admitted to hospitals, with 288 of those in ICU.

Mercer County announced its first death Friday, a 71-year-old man who had been hospitalized for coronavirus.

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

The state has a population of 11.6 million.

While the state is tracking confirmed cases, it’s important to note that due to the limited amount of testing available the number of confirmed cases is not a true reflection of actual cases in the state.

A projected curve of new cases from Ohio State University predicted Ohio would have 755 new coronavirus cases Friday. The state reported 410 new cases, putting Ohio below the Ohio State projection curve for five days in a row.

Gov. Mike DeWine provided a statewide update at 2 p.m. Friday.

The following announcements were made:

• Ohio Department of Education has created a remote learning resource guide and its posted on coronavirus.ohio.gov
• Ohio State and ODH have partnered to ensure that swabs, tubes and transport liquid for coronavirus testing are produced in Ohio to assist with expediting testing in the state, DeWine said. This has been a critical hole in testing for the state, because of supply chain issues.
• The state is advising Ohioians to maintain “cyber hygiene” as much more of the work being done is using the internet and computer next works. The state said now is a good time to change passwords to ensure all of your accounts are secure. It’s also a good time to update your antivirus software.
• The state is looking into the possibility of the early release of 23 women who are pregnant or have had a child in prison. There are also 15 people over the age of 60 and within 60 days of release in prison that may also be released early. The state will send a letter to the judge in their case to make a determination on if these women are appropriate to be released early. None of these people are violent offenders or sex offenders.
• Many banks have now received guidance from the Small Business Administration for loans under the Payment Protection Program. It is focused on employers with 500 employers are fewer -- and the loan can be forgivable for things like payroll, interest on a mortgage, rent, and utilities. Additional information is available at coronavirus.ohio.gov/businesshelp
• Open jobs for businesses in the state have been posted at coronavirus.ohio.gov/jobsearch. There are 21,000 jobs now posted there.
• Battelle is offering to do free sterilization of N95 masks for hospitals for free the next two weeks.
• 38,375 Ohioans have been tested for coronavirus.
• 628 of the confirmed cases in Ohio involve healthcare workers.

Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County provided an update for the county’s response to coronavirus at 4 p.m.

The following announcements were made:

• Avoid over crowding parks over the weekend and avoid having parties at your homes.
• Avoid over crowding big box stores, including home improvement and garden centers. Only get necessary items.
• The following businesses were ordered to cease operation following Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County investigation:
• CR Butts, 607 Taywood Rd. Englewood, Ohio 45322
• Bell Comics, 458 Patterson Rd Dayton, Ohio 45419
• GameStop, 3878 Linden Ave Dayton, Ohio 45432
• GameStop, 1605 W. Dorothy Lane Kettering, Ohio 45439
• Outcasts Motorcycle Club, 417 Hunter Drive Dayton, Ohio 45405
• Petco Dog Grooming, 1150 S. Main Street Englewood, Ohio 45322
• Vapor Trails, 854 Union Blvd Clayton, Ohio 45315
• Exotic Fantasies,5th Street Dayton, Ohio
• Adult XXX Toys, 5th Street Dayton
• Monkey Smoke Shop, 328 N Dixie Drive Vandalia, Ohio 45377
• Zero 1 Vape, Kettering
• Vapor Trails, 854 Union Blvd Clayton, Ohio 45315

Here’s what you need to know today:

• Newly released zip code-based data for confirmed cases in Montgomery show that zip code 45458 (Centerville area) has the most confirmed cases in the county with between 7-9 confirmed cases. Just north of that zip code 45459 has between 4-6 confirmed cases. Zip codes 45322 (Englewood area) and 45424 (Huber Heights area) also had between 4-6 confirmed cases each. Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County cautioned that the zip code data is not all inclusive as there are many cases in the county that have not been confirmed due to testing resources.
• The Premier Health COVID-19 collection site will have new hours of operation beginning Monday, April 6, 2020. The UD Arena parking lot, 1801 Edwin C. Moses Blvd., in collaboration with the University of Dayton, CompuNet and Premier Health Urgent Care. The collection site will now be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. This site continues to offer a process to collect specimens from patients who have a physician order with them for a COVID-19 test to be performed.
• Miami County Public Health ordered GameStop to discontinue handing video games out the front door of the store. The health department also ordered Kohl’s to discontinue curbside pick-up for online sales.
• Premier Health announced its secured a new rapid test for coronavirus within the last 24 hours that should allow for quicker testing in the Miami Valley.
• Butler County has announced its second death from coronavirus. The second death was a 77-year-old man, who was in the high-risk category.
• The White House is stepping up precautions to protect President Trump and Vice President Pence. Starting Friday, anyone expected to be in “close proximity” to either will be given a quick COVID-19 test, the Associated Press reported.
• The state will expand the stay-at-home order until May 1. The expanded order will replace the existing order when it expires Monday.
• Ohio called for the state’s manufacturers to help source personal protective equipment, so health care workers can safely care for patients. More than 600 companies in the state have responded to help.
• DeWine is urging manufacturers to visit repurposingproject.com to see what is needed in the state.
• The state is encouraging employers to allow employees to wear a mask if they want to. However, N95 masks are needed for frontline workers like nurses and doctors.
• The state has now formed an economic advisory board that will help us as we work to economically move forward.
• DeWine said Ohioans have saved lives by the actions they are doing with social distancing.
• State unemployment call center is open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Workers who lost their job related to COVID-19 you can use this number to expedite your claim application through the system: 2000180
• Over the last two weeks, Ohio has issued unemployment compensation payments totaling more than $45 million to more than 108,000 claimants.
• 34,918 Ohioans have been tested for coronavirus.
• 8 percent of Ohioans tested have tested positive for coronavirus.
• 570 of the positive cases in the state are healthcare workers, which is 20 percent of the confirmed positive cases reported to ODH.
• The State of Ohio worked with some of Ohio’s Licensing Boards to send a survey to identify additional personnel who have clinical or behavioral health skills to respond to potential hospital surge from COVID-19. These licensing boards include: State Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services; Veterinary Medical Board; Vision Professionals Board. If you are a current or retired licensee from any of these boards, the state is asking you to take the time to complete the survey to help the state better understand the people who are available to help.
• According to Gov. DeWine, some economists have said that in the 1918 pandemic, communities that did these tough things not only saved a lot of lives, but in the end, they were better off economically than the communities that let it spread, let people die, and let their healthcare system become overwhelmed.

• Today, immediate cease operations orders are going out to 12 businesses in the Dayton-Montgomery County area, Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper said
• 216 businesses are under investigation regarding whether they qualify as essential businesses and whether they are following the social distancing/stay-at-home rules established by the state
• The list of businesses will be posted to the Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County website. The list does not infer non-compliance on the part of the businesses. Cooper said his inspection team will have to review the paperwork for each of the 216 businesses in order to reach a fair conclusion as to essential vs. non-essential.

[ The list of businesses published on the Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County website ]

• Some businesses on the list are obviously non-essential, Cooper said, citing vape shops, private clubs, pet grooming services, a video store, and a retail entity as examples
• The 216 businesses under investigation will grow, he said, because complaints continue to come into the health department
• The health department will involve the county prosecutor’s office for repeat offenders, Cooper said
• Mayor Nan Whaley said residents can use #askNan to ask her and other U.S. mayors who will be online today
• TRUMP TESTS NEGATIVE: The president said he took another test Thursday morning for the coronavirus and tested negative. It believed to be his second; White House doctor said he is “healthy and without symptoms”
• UNINSURED AMERICANS: The White House is considering direct payments to hospitals to cover COVID-19 treatment costs for uninsured Americans
• MASKS FOR EVERYONE: The White House also is considering recommending that nearly every American wear a face mask when out in public. The guidance could be finalized this weekend
• PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM: The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep workers on the payroll. The Small Business Administration will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities. The loan has a maturity of 2 years and an interest rate of .5%. The program will be available through June 30
• ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS: Direct deposits will be going into taxpayer accounts within two weeks, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file tax returns will not need to file an abbreviated return to receive an Economic Impact Payment. Instead, payments will be automatically deposited into their bank accounts. “We want to put money directly into accounts. If people don’t have a checking account, checks will be mailed,” he said
• FEMA SUPPLY CHAIN TASK FORCE: The federal government has sent to states 27.1 million surgical masks, 19.1 million N95 masks, 5.2 million face shields, 7,600+ ventilators, millions of pairs of gloves. The government is buying 30,000 ventilators and is looking to have 100,000 by late June. Project AirBridge, which Trump announced this week, aims to shorten the time products are moved from one location to another. Normally, it takes 37 days to get product from overseas to the United States and the FEMA team is scouring the globe to find pockets of PPE, said Navy Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, task force leader
• COVID-19 HOSPITALS: The Defense Department has been put in charge of running medical facilities they will install in the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City as well as convention centers in New Orleans, Louisiana, and in Dallas, Texas
• VENTILATORS: The president said he signed Defense Protection Act to order 100,000 ventilators, which he said are being built and should be available soon for hot spots the coronavirus task force has identified
• N95 MASKS: Trump said the government is sending 200,000 N95 masks today to the New York City public health system to get workers through April
• PARTISAN POLITICS: Trump said the partisan politics have to end. “Witch hunt after witch hunt after witch hunt” have done nothing but increase his poll numbers, he said

What you need to know today:

• President Trump and the coronavirus task force TODAY could formally recommend that nearly every American wear a face mask
• TODAY, Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County inspectors will hand out 12 immediate cease operations orders to area businesses
• Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein late Thursday night responded to having the health department investigation one of her departments
• Tanks bar and grill, a longtime favorite Dayton business, has closed because of the pandemic, hopes to return
• More than 2,000 workers have been furloughed by area/regional businesses since mid-March in response to the state stay-at-home order

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