UPDATE @ 5:43 p.m. The Ohio House has passed a funding bill that would send $350 million to cities. Because they made alterations to the bill, it is now headed back to the Senate for approval.
Mayor Jeffrey Sanner of West Carrollton tells us this money is badly needed, because cities have seen a dramatic reduction in tax revenues, due to many people being laid-off during the health emergency.
UPDATE @ 4:30 p.m.: Day camps and residential camps may open at any time, while certain entertainment venues may open beginning June 10 as long as their managers and owners can follow the retail, consumer, service & entertainment guidelines and other applicable guidance put in place by the state in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday afternoon.
He announced the decisions in a news release after canceling his usual 2 p.m. briefing out of respect for the memorial service for George Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis police on Memorial Day. The service for Floyd was scheduled to begin at the same time as DeWine’s briefing.
DeWine also asked for a statewide moment of silence at 2 p.m., in remembrance of Floyd.
“As I’ve said, Ohioans are able to do two things at once," DeWine said in a prepared statement. “We can continue to limit the spread of COVID-19 while we safely reopen our economy. It is up to each of us to do what we can to keep each other safe and choose to keep six feet of social distance, wear masks, and maintain good hand hygiene.
“The threat of COVID-19 remains and while it’s our responsibility to keep each other safe, business owners and employees should do their part to ensure customers visit safely, by cleaning and sanitizing surfaces regularly,” the governor said.
Here is the list of entertainment venues that have been given the go-ahead:
- Aquariums
- Art galleries
- Country clubs
- Ice skating rinks
- Indoor family entertainment centers
- Indoor sports facilities
- Laser tag facilities
- Movie theaters (indoor)
- Museums
- Playgrounds (outdoor)
- Public recreation centers
- Roller skating rinks
- Social clubs
- Trampoline parks
- Zoos
Whether DeWine will hold a briefing Friday was not certain.
>>Coronavirus: New unemployment claims drop nearly 18% in Ohio last week
This week, the governor has said the state’s goal is for K-12 schools to start this fall, noting that local school boards will control the start dates. He also gave the go-ahead for healthcare providers to resume surgeries and procedures that had been delayed as part of the attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
Some things you should know today,
- Still coming: Guidance on nursing homes and congregant facility visitation.
- June 8, outdoor visits may begin at assisted living and intermediate care facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities.
- The Ohio PPE Retooling and Reshoring Grant Program: created to help small and medium-sized manufacturers to retool existing facilities to make PPE or reshore PPE production in Ohio. The state is setting aside $20 million for the program, and grants could be as much as $500,000.
- The Ohio Micro-Enterprise Grant Program: Its goal is to help small minority and women-owned businesses. Each qualifying business would receive $10,000 until funding runs out.
- The Appalachian Growth Capital Loan Program: Provides $10 million to help small businesses in Ohio’s 32 county Appalachian region. Small businesses could be in line for loans up to $500,000 at 2-percent interest.
- DeWine offered comments on the unrest in response to the death of George Floyd, who was killed Memorial Day in Minneapolis police custodyONSORED CONTENT10 Ways to Maintain Connections While HomebounHumana
>>RELATED: DeWine unveils new tools to combat case disparity in minority communities
LATEST STATE DATA: As of Thursday afternoon, there have been at least 37,282 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 2,339 deaths, and 6,312 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Ohio has an estimated population of approximately 11.7 million, census records show.
Of the state’s positive cases, 19.5% 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 423,521 people tested for coronavirus in Ohio. In the state, 5,483 cases are health care workers, which is 15 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.
Other things to know today:
- COVID-19 UPDATES: Catch up on the latest news concerning the virus
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