Moving The Dimmer Switch: How Ohio Will Reopen Amid Coronavirus

COLUMBUS, OH — Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said Ohioans should expect an increase in new coronavirus cases as portions of the economy come back online. State officials have signaled portions of the economy will begin reopening on May 1.

"What we did getting into this is flip the light switch, but to get out we have to start moving the dimmer switch. You start back out into society by doing the lowest risk things first, watch how we deal with the spread of infection, then turn the dial a little more," Acton said.

She said the state still lags in its ability to test for COVID-19, though progress is being made in expanding capacity.

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Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohio will look first to open businesses that can install safety procedures needed to protect workers. The governor has said the state intends to begin a phased reopening of the economy on May 1.

"We're balancing two things: the need to move forward, to get people back to work; but to do it in a safe way. There are trade-offs," DeWine said. He confirmed that reopening the economy will increase person-to-person contact and encourage the spread of the virus.

When asked how the state would protect medically-vulnerable workers, DeWine said he "didn't have a great answer for that. We're hoping that, when possible, employers will help that person."

COVID-19 Testing

The FDA has approved the use of a new reagent for testing for the new coronavirus, DeWine announced Tuesday. This will allow Ohio to ramp up its testing statewide.

"This approval will greatly expand our state’s ability to increase our testing capacity. We are working with other companies to make additional reagent kits available so we can continue to ramp up testing in Ohio," DeWine said.

The new reagent was developed by Thermo Fisher, a company which also makes machines to test samples for COVID-19.

Two former Ohio governors will also lead a new taskforce focused on improving Ohio's COVID-19 testing capabilities. Former Governor Richard Celeste and former Governor Bob Taft will work with Ohio business leaders, academia and public health experts to secure COVID-19 testing items, like reagent.

"I am so grateful that they have agreed to help the state of Ohio as we move forward. They will use their skills, networks, contacts, and life experiences to help us in the critical mission to get testing supplies and expand testing in Ohio," DeWine said during his Tuesday news conference.

Tuesday's COVID-19 Numbers

Both Marion and Pickaway counties are now among the hardest hit regions of Ohio, in terms of COVID-19 spread. Many of their confirmed cases are within the Marion Correctional Institute and the Pickaway Correctional Institute.

Ohio now has 13,725 cases of the new coronavirus, according to the state health department. In 24 hours, the state confirmed nearly 750 new cases of COVID-19. There have been 94,000 COVID-19 tests done since the outbreak began.

That means Tuesday afternoon saw a smaller daily increase in new cases than Monday or Sunday. There were also 48 deaths between Monday and Tuesday, bring the state's total COVID-19 deaths to 557.

Marion County, where Marion Correctional Institute is located, now leads Ohio in confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 2,132 cases. Cuyahoga County has 1,653 confirmed COVID-19 cases and leads the state in COVID-19 deaths, with 64.

Changes to Ohio Fairs

There are more than 90 county, state and independent fairs held each summer in Ohio. With COVID-19 spreading, those events are now in jeopardy, DeWine announced.

"This year, however, we don’t yet know what Ohio’s fairs will look like, but we do know the costs incurred by the fair boards continue," DeWine said.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is waiving a requirement that agricultural societies must put up matching funds to receive a $50,000 facilities grant from the state. Fair managers will need to apply for the money through the department's website.

"This way, fairs that qualify will still have this money to put toward improvements, even if the local match isn’t available," DeWine said.