Several Reopenings Announced In Ohio: Child Care, Camp Grounds

COLUMBUS, OH — Child care facilities will be able to reopen May 31, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday. State officials also announced reopening dates for camp grounds, day camps, Bureau of Motor Vehicle locations, pools and more.

Child care providers will need to wear masks while working and everyone entering a child care facility will have their temperature taken. Anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees or more will be sent home.

Child care facilities will not be allowed to take field trips, but will be allowed to host outdoor activities with proper cleaning and disinfecting protocols. Children and teachers will need to wash their hands frequently throughout the day.

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To offset the costs of installing new safety protocols, the state government is utilizing $60 million in federal CARES Act dollars. Reopening grants will be given to child care facilities across the state.

DeWine said he consulted with medical and business experts to develop guidelines for reopening child care facilities. However, there is not much information currently on how the virus interacts with kids.

"We do not have great data in regard to child care and COVID-19," DeWine said Thursday.

The state will launch a research project to study how, and if, the virus interacts with child care facilities and students and teachers.

"This study will make Ohio a global leader in safely re-opening child care. And as we gather more and more data from the study, it will continue to inform our decisions about best practices at child care centers as we move forward," DeWine said.

Other Reopenings

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced several other reopenings in Ohio.

• Day camps — May 31 (health and safety protocols are expected Friday)
• Bureau of Motor Vehicle locations — May 26
• Gyms — May 26
• Non-contact or low-contact sports — May 26
  • Husted said officials are working on guidance for higher-contact sports, like hockey and lacrosse. Those guidelines will be released at a later date.
• Pools — May 26
• "We are only talking about pools that are regulated by local health departments," Husted said. "We are not talking about water parks or amusement parks."
• Horse racing — May 22
  • Spectators will continue to be prohibited, but races will now be allowed to continue.
• Camp grounds — May 21

"These things may reopen on the date described. They do not have to reopen," Husted said.