COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton are holding a news conference with the latest on the state's response to COVID-19 in Columbus.
DeWine was expected to have remarks about the state's plan for day cares, most of which have been closed since March in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Instead, the governor said that he is still gathering the necessary information for reopening Ohio's child care centers and wouldn't make such an announcement until he had all the facts. DeWine said it is his hope that Ohio is a leader in this area and lays claim to one of the strongest policies on reopening daycares in the country.
"The mistakes I've made in my career have come about when I haven't had all the facts or didn't dig deep enough -- so this process is continuing. Reopening childcare centers is simply too important to do so without all the best information and protocols in place," DeWine said at Monday's briefing.
During his last remarks on Thursday, the governor announced that restaurants and hair salons would be able to begin reopening on a limited basis starting May 15 (this Friday). With retail businesses set to open this Tuesday, DeWine stated that by then, roughly 90% of the state's economy will be reopened.
Also on Monday, Dr. Amy Acton laid out the state's plan to perform random antibody tests on 1200 Ohioans. Households chosen at random will get a postcard sometime this week.
Click here for our coronavirus section