Gov. DeWine expressed Tuesday that the state would be moving into yet another phase in its Coronavirus response, this time moving away from “orders” and towards “strong recommendations.”
“It’s time for our orders to reflect where we are in Ohio today," he explained, citing the state’s ability to flatten the healthcare curve, among other ‘wins,’ as the reason he felt comfortable moving to a less restrictive environment.
One of these wins is Ohio moving from an R0 value of 1:2 to 1:1, meaning that those who contract COVID-19 in the state are now, on average, infecting one other person rather than two.
That being said, the governor was quick to clarify that the fight is far from over, and that “what we do individually is what will save Ohioans collectively.” He is calling his new plan an Urgent Health Advisory, titled Ohioans Protecting Ohioans.
So what does this new, ‘middle ground’ phase look like then?
- Recommends 6 feet of social distancing; a limit of 10 people for mass gatherings; frequent hand-washing; and other sanitizing efforts.
- Incorporates all of the business orders about social distancing and sanitation, including employees wearing masks, as well as efforts to protect employees and efforts to protect the public.
- Considers the most vulnerable Ohioans as those who can suffer the worst impacts from the virus, DeWine said. The advisory strongly recommends that high-risk Ohioans stay at home as much as possible and avoid places where they are likely to encounter a lot of people.
- Recommends, through the Urgent Health Advisory, that all other Ohioans stay at home when possible. The intent is to lower the rate of spread of COVID-19.
- Lifts travel restrictions. However, while unnecessary travel within or outside of the state is permitted, it is not encouraged.
“Permitted but not encouraged”-- that was the theme of the announcement, and seems to only expand the governor’s shift in attitude from his April 30th “Stay Safe Ohio” order.
Still, the governor made sure to remind citizens that COVID-19 has become a leading cause of death in the state, killing over 1,700 in Ohio and 90,000 in the country.
“We will have no other time in our lives where our own actions and inactions can impact the lives of so many other citizens,” he emphasized.
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