As Ohio continues to battle the coronavirus (COVID-19), Governor Mike DeWine is taking another measure to encourage social distancing.
At his daily press briefing on Tuesday, DeWine revealed that he has directed state agencies to continue working remotely through at least May 1. DeWine had initially issued his directive for state employees to work from home on March 12, and in the time since, Ohio has successfully deployed almost 18,000 employees to do their work remotely.
DeWine said he has also asked state agencies to find additional remote work opportunities. The latest extension falls in line with the decision DeWine announced on Monday to keep Ohio K-12 schools closed through at least May 1.
As of Tuesday, Ohio has had 2,199 confirmed coronavirus cases, 585 of which have resulted in hospitalization, 198 ICU admissions and 55 deaths. Dating back to the discovery of the state's first positive coronavirus case on March 9, DeWine has taken a number of measures to encourage social distancing, including issuing a stay-at home order across the state set to last through at least April 6.