On Thursday, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton signed a new order extending the state's stay-at-home requirements to May 1.
The new order, however, includes some changes from Ohio's first stay-at-home order that went into effect on March 23 and is set to expire on April 6. Most notably, anyone entering Ohio from out of state is asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said that while there is an exemption for those who work over state lines, the order is intended for those who have been out of state for some time.
The full list of changes to the order, which goes into effect at the expiration of the previous order, includes:
- The creation of a board to evaluate and render guidance in situations where two local health departments have come to a different conclusion on what is or is not an essential business that is permitted to remain open.
- Restrictions on how many people will be allowed to simultaneously occupy each entity that remains open. The restriction will vary from business to business due to variance in size.
- People traveling into Ohio who have been out of the state for an extended period of time are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
- All weddings must follow the restrictions on mass gatherings, allowing no more than 10 people to be present.
- Campgrounds are closed with exceptions for situations where a camper or recreational vehicle in a campground is used as somebody’s permanent residence and they are unable to secure safe alternative housing.
- Fishing can continue but people must follow proper social distancing guidelines.
- Ohio State Parks remain open but the director can take action to enforce the orders we've issued.
As of Thursday, Ohio has had 2,902 confirmed coronavirus cases, 802 of which have resulted in hospitalization, 260 Intensive Care Unit admissions and 81 deaths. Dating back to the discovery of the state's first positive coronavirus case on March 9, DeWine took several measures to encourage physical distancing leading up to the first stay-at-home order.