COLUMBUS, Ohio — As he does each Tuesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine held a press briefing to address the state's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
RELATED: More coronavirus coverage from WKYC
Here's what was discussed during Tuesday's press briefing, which aired live on WKYC and streamed on WKYC.com.
Education
According to DeWine, 325 of the state's school districts are planning to return to classes full-time. That’s about 590,000 public school students or 38 percent. 55 districts will be going with a fully remote model, that figure represents 398,000 public schools students or just over 25 percent. 154 districts or 24.5 percent (approximately 380,000 students) will be doing some form of hybrid schooling. There are 78 districts with information not readily available.
DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted were joined at Tuesday's COVID-19 briefing by three leading pediatricians across the state. Dr. John Barnard from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus announced that of all the children who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, 8% have required hospital admission, 1% required ICU.
Dr. Barnard also stated that 17-year-olds seem to be contracting coronavirus at higher rates than their younger peers. "This could be because they are more likely to socialize with more people," he added.
Dr. Patty Manning from Cincinnati Children's Hospital laid out some guidelines for schools to keep students, teachers, and staff safe.
- Wear masks
- Practice social distancing
- Practice good hand hygiene
- Keep surfaces clean
- Ventilation is also very important. Teachers should try to open windows or teach outside if possible.
Sports
While DeWine didn't have any new guidance for sports in the state last week, he said once again that it's coming soon. At his press briefing on Friday, DeWine revealed that he planned to unveil new practices and protocols for sports in Ohio over the course of the next week.
DeWine's potential announcement regarding athletics could have implications for sports at all levels in the Buckeye State. It also comes on the heels of the Ohio High School Athletic Association announcing that it is moving to a six-game regular season and the reported cancellation of the 2020 Big Ten campaign.