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What will life look like after the stay-at-home order is lifted?

A local doctor expects social distancing recommendations to be maintained for months.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — (Update: All back house and restaurant footage of Edwins used in the on-air version of this story is file from previous stories which were done before the pandemic)

While social distancing is working here in Ohio, you might be wondering what life will look like once the stay at home order is lifted.

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“I think that our federal leaders and our state leaders are going to feel some pressure to get the economy going again and they’re going to try to find a balance between some loosening of social distancing and some risk of more spread and a surge,” explains University Hospitals’ Medical Director of the Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine & Global Health, Dr. Keith Armitage.

“Until we have a vaccine we really will not be back to normal in terms of our life, I think there will be some restrictions.”

Dr. Armitage says he has confidence that Governor Mike DeWine and Health Director Dr. Amy Acton will continue to take the proper steps to minimize the spread of the virus and a surge of new cases.

“I think it’s clear, we’re doing great now but if we relax too soon it can backfire,” he says. “Manufacturing and other businesses I think might slowly come back and I would expect maybe the governor and health director to change overtime what they consider essential businesses but restaurants and bars are a really tough one, I don’t envy them making that decision.”

Armitage expects social distancing recommendations to be maintained for months.

“I would expect things like wearing masks in public, not being close to people if you don’t have to related to your occupation or need to shop, not having large gatherings, maybe having sporting events only behind closed doors.”

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