Governor DeWine kept his promise to unveil his initial plan to open the state on Monday, with the first ‘phase’ taking place in three parts throughout the month of May.
He emphasized that with these openings also comes new regulations, that even those businesses already open must now comply with. This includes that customers will now be required to wear a mask to any store, starting on May 12.
May 1: Healthcare industry opens
- Starting on May 1, all health procedures that can be done that do not require an overnight stay in the hospital can resume. Dentist and Veterinarians can resume normal operations.
- This still excludes some elective procedures, and DeWine says he hopes to soon allow for these to also continue, depending largely on the availability of PPE.
- DeWine attributed the work Ohioans did to flatten the heathcare curve as the reason much of the industry can now open. "The hospitals are not full; they have space.”
May 4: General offices; manufacturing, distribution, construction industries open
- Starting on May 4, manufacturing, distribution, and construction industries will be allowed to return to business.
- General offices will also be permitted to reopen.
- Those in these industries will be expected to comply with a series of restrictions:
- Employees must be kept 6 feet apart
- Employees required to wear a mask
- Daily health assessments of employees
- Maintain good hygeine
- Clean and sanitize regularly
- Establish maximum capacity at 50% of firecode
- Immediately isolate any employee that shows symptoms, as well as anyone they came into contact with
May 12: Consumer retail industry opens
- Starting on May 12, all retail establishments will be allowed to open.
- Starting on this date, customers going to ANY store, including those who remained open during shutdown (i.e. grocery stores), will be required to wear a mask.
- The establishments will also have to follow these guidelines:
- Employees must wear masks in addition to customers
- Daily health assessments of employees
- Maintain good hygeine
- Clean and sanitize regularly
- Establish maximum capacity at 50% of firecode
- Immediately isolate any employee that shows symptoms, as well as anyone they came into contact with
Restrictions that will remain
- The governor clarified that he considers his stay-at-home order to still be in place, just modified.
- Gatherings over over 10 people will still be banned in Ohio. DeWine did remain hopeful this could change by summer, but says, “we are not there yet.”
- He specifically mentioned the cosmetology industry, saying he understands those establishments remaining closed is specifically frustrating for both employees and customers. He said he is working to open that industry as quickly as possible, while maintaining safety.