Coronavirus Pandemic: DeWine announces sports can go forward, performing arts orders coming

Gov. Mike DeWine’s highly anticipated announcement on high school sports was made this afternoon, when he said all fall sports will be permitted to continue.

DeWine said the announcement comes with a restriction on the amount of fans, saying only family members will be allowed to attend.

>> RELATED: OHSAA releases return-to-play plan as DeWine announces order allowing fall sports to continue

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The following announcements have been made:

• DeWine said the Ohio Veteran’s Home, which is a nursing home in Brown County, had its first case since the pandemic began. The case is an employee.
• Dr. Jim Borchers said the healthiness of the community is key to protecting athletes who are participating in athletics.
• Six of the top 10 counties in the state for highest occurance of COVID-19 are in the Miami Valley. Mercer County remained number one in the state and number two is Darke County. Preble, Shelby, Champaign and Auglaize counties also were in the top 10. Darke County also has been the site of a significant outbreak at Rest Haven nursing home in Greenville.
• The state’s positive rate continues to decline, with a 4.5% positive rate average over the last seven days.
• The sports order being issued by the state will allow all sports to go forward this fall, beginning Aug. 21.
• Under the sports order the following will happen:
• No spectators other than family members of the athletes. Schools will dictate the policies in those areas, DeWine said. Parents of marching band participants will also be permitted to attend.
• Schools that want to move contact sports like football, soccer and field hockey to the Spring, if they decide to do so, will be allowed to, according to DeWine. He said this decision was made after consulting with the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Several urban districts in the state, including Dayton Public, has postponed the fall sports season.
• The Ohio High School Athletic Association will have site inspectors at contests making sure rules under the order are being followed. If rules are not followed, forfeiture of games may happen, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.
• DeWine said schools will be the decision makers on whether sports in each district will be played.
• DeWine said the state is planning to issue new orders this week on performing arts.

Things you need to know today, Tuesday:

• In the Wapakoneta City Schools District, Superintendent Aaron Rex said in a social media post that meetings among Western Buckeye League athletic directors and fall coaches are planned to discuss the potential season right after DeWine delivers his announcement.
• An Oakwood Junior High girls’ volleyball team played has tested positive for coronavirus. The player was last at practice on Aug. 13. Players and coaches who were in close contact were notified and will self-quarantine for 14 days.
• Medical experts are seeing a rise in strokes among young patients diagnosed with COVID-19
• A pop-up testing site is to be held today at Kettering Fields, 444 N Bend Drive, in Dayton.
• A pop-up site also is set for Aug. 22 at 231 North Breiel Boulevard in Middletown, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Schedule appointments at centerpointhealth.org
• Victorum Learning Center in Dayton has had a number of COVID-19 cases since March.
• Some area private schools are seeing an uptick in enrollment, incoming transfers

Other things you should know today:

• REPORTS: Reds to take on Royals; contact tracing to keep some players in Cincy
• Outbreak in Maine traced to wedding reception
• UNC-Chapel Hill cancels in-person classes after 4 cluster outbreaks in a week

LATEST STATE DATA: As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been at least 109,923 confirmed or probable cases in the state, 3,871 deaths, and 12,436 hospitalizations, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 89,068 people are presumed to have recovered from the virus in the state.

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

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

There have been 1,863,180 people tested for the coronavirus in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

A total of 12,314 health care workers have tested positive which is about 11 percent of the cases.

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

Cox Media Group