COVID-19 Update: JobsOhio Banking Partnership April 21, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)— JobsOhio, Peoples Bank (headquartered in Marietta) and the recently-merged First Federal Bank and Home Savings Bank (headquartered in Defiance and Youngstown) announced a new partnership to support those banks’ existing small business clients in Ohio. The partnership will help small businesses maintain operations and payroll [...]
COVID-19 Update: County Fair Wavier April 21, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine announced today that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has waived the required $50,000 local match for the Agricultural Society Facilities Grant Program. Ohio’s operating budget set aside this grant funding to help fairs make necessary facilities and grounds improvements. Fairs could apply for [...]
COVID-19 Update: Testing Strike Team April 21, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine announced the formation a new strike team led by former Ohio governors Richard Celeste and Bob Taft that will work to find more reliable sources of reagent and testing supplies for COVID-19 testing in Ohio. “I am so pleased that Governor Celeste and Governor [...]
COVID-19 Update: FDA Reagent Approval April 21, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine announced today that a new testing reagent, which is a compound used to determine if COVID-19 is present in a sample, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Because reagents have been extremely limited, Ohio and other states have [...]
COVID-19 Update: Private Lab Testing April 20, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—The Ohio Department of Health had previously issued an order prohibiting hospitals from sending COVID-19 testing samples to private labs due to slow turnaround time. Governor DeWine announced today that LabCorp and Quest currently have no backlog of samples and have added more testing capacity. In response [...]
COVID-19 Update: Data Collection April 20, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—In addition to comprehensive data already published on coronavirus.ohio.gov, Governor DeWine announced today that he has directed the Ohio Department of Health to collect more specific information regarding cases of COVID-19 in Ohio nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. In regard to nursing homes and [...]
COVID-19 Update: Minority Health Strike Force April 20, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Because COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting minority groups in Ohio and across the country, Governor DeWine announced today that he has formed a new Minority Health Strike Force. According to data from the Ohio Department of Health, 21 percent of individuals who have tested [...]
COVID-19 Update: K-12 Schools to Remain Closed April 20, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine announced today that K-12 schools in Ohio will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year. “We balanced many issues in arriving at this decision. In the end, I believe this is what is best to protect the health [...]
COVID-19 Update: Inmate Testing April 17, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Comprehensive testing of inmates has begun at Marion Correctional Institution, Pickaway Correctional Institution, and Franklin Medical Center. Ohio is believed to be the first and only state in the country to conduct comprehensive testing in a state prison setting. With comprehensive testing at these facilities, [...]
COVID-19 Update: Recovery Phase April 17, 2020 (COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine reiterated today that Ohio’s recovery phase will be not start and end overnight. “We must continue to assume that everyone has this disease because it is not going away until we have a vaccine,” said Governor DeWine. “As we gradually, carefully, and responsibly start to [...]
