As Ohio works with nearby states on plans to begin lifting some pandemic restrictions, here is a look at the coronavirus impact on states bordering Ohio, as of Friday, April 17th.
Michigan announced Friday that the state has had at least 2,227 deaths from the coronavirus, and more than 30,000 confirmed cases. The heaviest concentration has been in the greater Detroit area. 582 people have died in the city of Detroit, and more than 1,300 have died in counties surrounding Detroit.
More than a million people in Michigan have filed for unemployment in recent weeks, and the online system has had trouble keeping up, as it has in Ohio and other states. Michigan has seen protests shutting down parts of Lansing, the state’s capital. Lansing’s mayor issued a statement Friday dealing with the protests. "Michigan residents always have the right to protest at the Capitol Building, but they do not have the right to violate the rights of City of Lansing workers and resident,” the statement began from Lansing Mayor Andy Schor. “While many people stayed in their cars to protest at the Capitol, some “gridlock protesters” went further and took their frustrations out on the entire City of Lansing by including our downtown, neighborhoods and corridors. Some also left their cars and engaged in outside protesting (as protected by the First Amendment) but refused to socially distance and follow CDC recommendations as required in the Executive Order. Demonstrators not practicing social distancing put the safety of Lansing residents, first responders and their respective communities at risk.” The mayor says the city is creating guidelines and taking precautions for future protests.
President Trump has also criticized Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Friday seemed to join the sentiment of protesters by tweeting “Liberate Michigan”.
Indiana has seen 519 deaths, and more than 10,000 positive cases. While the Indianapolis area has seen the most deaths in the state, rural Decatur County in southeast Indiana—about 100 miles southwest of Dayton—has seen 17 deaths among the county’s 25,000 residents. Click here for a breakdown of cases by county in Indiana .
The state has also provided metrics that show more than 1 in 5 ICU beds in the state are in use by COVID-19 patients, and another 30% of ICU beds are in use by other patients. Nearly half the state’s ICU beds are available, if numbers of cases surge.
Friday, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb extended the state’s stay-at-home order to May 1st, and, in partnership with surrounding states including Ohio, hopes to begin reopening some businesses then.
Kentucky has seen 2,429 confirmed cases and 129 deaths from the pandemic. 17 of those deaths are in the counties bordering the Cincinnati area. The largest totals are from the Louisville area, where 56 people have died. Click here for a map of cases across Kentucky.
One of the state’s largest revenue generators, the Kentucky Derby, has run continuously since 1875, usually on the first Saturday in May. This year, it has been postponed to September 5th, the first such postponement since 1945.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has been holding daily news briefings broadcast across the commonwealth. As in many states, about 100 protestors rallied outside the capitol earlier this week to protest pandemic restrictions.
West Virginia has reported 13 total deaths as of Friday, with 754 positive cases. Friday, Governor Jim Justice ordered that every nursing home resident and staff member across the state be tested for COVID-19. “Our nursing homes, as we all know, are home to some of the most vulnerable of our people. This disease has a way of attacking the elderly,” Gov. Justice said in a statement. “Every single one of these people have brought wisdom to all of us for decades and decades. These are not statistics. These are names and families and they absolutely deserve the very best from us in every way. Just ‘good enough’ is not good enough. We need to be perfect.”
Pennsylvania reported nearly 30,000 positive cases Friday, with 756 deaths, The heaviest concentration of cases has been in the eastern part of the state, surrounding Philadelphia. In the western part of the state, the Pittsburgh area has seen about 100 deaths, according to WPXI.
© 2020 Cox Media Group
