Governor Mike DeWine announced on April 16, that beginning Friday, May 1, Ohio will begin a phased-in reopening of the state economy. State officials believe the five-day virus averages through April 16 were steady enough and low enough to begin jump-starting an economy crippled by business closures that have cost 15% of Ohioans their jobs.
As Ohio begins to reopen, Gov. DeWine stressed the need to balance compliance with public health measures; implementation of safeguards in business; and protections for the most vulnerable Ohioans.
The re-opening plan will be fact-driven to minimize the health risk to business owners, employees, and their customers. In consultation with Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, MD, MPH, Lt. Governor Jon Husted will lead the governor’s board of economic advisors to identify best practices, similar to the current requirements on essential business operations to ensure Ohioans health and safety as businesses begin the process of reopening.
Gov. DeWine will work closely with the governors of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and Kentucky to reopen the region’s economy in a coordinated way. The states will review four factors as they reopen their economies: the number of cases in the state and the number of hospital admissions, the amount of hospital capacity, the ability to test and trace cases of COVID-19, and best practices for social distancing in businesses.
On April 16, the Trump administration released guidelines to reopen parts of the United States.