CEDARVILLE, Ohio — As he does each Thursday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine held a press briefing on to address the state's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
RELATED: More coronavirus coverage from WKYC
What follows are some of the subjects DeWine discussed:
School order
With the academic calendar across the state having begun, many schools find themselves facing the realities of hosting in-person classrooms amid a pandemic. As a result, DeWine issued an order mandating that schools establish a coronavirus reporting system, which will require schools to inform parents of any coronavirus cases in the building.
From there, the local health department will notify the Ohio Department of Health on a weekly basis about newly reported cases in schools, as well as the cumulative casa data for students/teachers. DeWine says the data will be posted every Wednesday at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
“We’ve been discussing this, and I’ve tasked my team with coming up with a consistent state plan,” DeWine said last week. “In other words, the way these are reported to the public should be – whether it’s in Belmont County or Huron County or Hamilton County – it should be the same way. So we will have a procedure to outline for you on Thursday. Frankly, I felt it needs to be consistent. … It needs to be reported to the health department, obviously. But it needs to be, also in real time, reported to parents so that parents have an idea what’s going on. And then it needs to be also reported to the news media.”
September spike
Due partially to schools being back in session, Ohio has seen a rise in its coronavirus cases in recent days. On Tuesday, the state saw its biggest increase in cases since July, with DeWine issuing a warning regarding the upcoming Labor Day Weekend.
“There is grave concern about Labor Day coming up. … As we gather with family and friends we must remember that whenever there is more activity, we’re going to see more cases,” DeWine said earlier this week. “Remember, in the weeks after July 4th, we averaged close to 1,500 cases per day – we believe in large part because of Independence Day gatherings. Please stay safe this weekend,” warned the state’s top official."
State alert system
Seven counties across Ohio are currently in the Level 3 "red" zone for COVID-19 exposure. In Northeast Ohio, Wayne County moved to red for the first time, thanks to several outbreaks at businesses and churches as well as a "large" outbreak at a long-term care facility.
However, Erie County moved from Level 3 to Level 2, while Lorain County fell all the way to Level 1. At the moment, Wayne is the only county in Northeast Ohio in the red zone.
You can watch DeWine's entire press briefing again in the player below:
