Coronavirus has spread and radically altered life everywhere, and my home state of Ohio is no exception.
According to the Ohio Department of Health’s website on March 31, there are 2,199 confirmed cases, 585 hospitalizations and 55 deaths in the Buckeye State and these numbers are rising continuously.
However, Ohio has been making timely decisions that have made the state better prepared. According to the Washington Post, the choices made by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine have become the nation’s guide to responding to the pandemic.
To some, it would appear that DeWine took action too quickly. For example, public events and schools were shut down before anyone in the state had died from the disease and case numbers were still extremely low at the time. However, it was this quick response that has made Ohio a leader in coronavirus response.
Currently, Ohio is under a shelter-in-place order, which went into effect on March 23 and is slated to last until April 6. The order requires all Ohioans to stay at home at all times, with the exception of leaving for essential activities. Essential activities include grocery shopping and medical services. People considered essential workers, like grocery store workers, doctors and nurses and public safety officers, are still going to work while everyone else is working from home.
Ohioans are also allowed to leave their homes for exercise, but that could also see regulations. Dewine said that people gathering at public parks is becoming a cause for concern and said that a new order could be coming that makes changes to park operation.
The most recent order came on March 30, when school closures were extended from a three-week period to a closure until May 1.
“We want to take this one chunk at a time because it is not clear exactly where we’re going to be,” Dewine said, “but it’s clear that we’re not going to be back in the classroom before May 1, and so we want to signal to everybody today that you need to plan, you need to continue on the education until May 1. Is it possible that it will have to continue the way it is now remotely until the rest of the school year? Yes, it is. It’s certainly possible, we just don’t know yet until we see exactly where we are.”
DeWine, similar to most governors, does a press conference each day where he updates the state on statistics and the latest protocols. Decisions are being made every day as policy is updated and life is changing for everyone.
Although policy is changing, the Ohio Department of Health’s message to Ohioans has stayed the same throughout the crisis — everyone has a part to play in saving lives, whether that be staying home, providing medical care or supporting local business. The virus may be distancing people physically, but it is bringing them together to help each other.