COVID-19 Update: Class of 2020 Graduation
April 29, 2020
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine reminded Ohio educators that they must ensure social distancing during any and all graduation ceremonies.
The Ohio Department of Education and Ohio Department of Health today issued the following suggestions for local schools and health departments:
- Virtual graduation ceremonies (preferred)
- Drive-in ceremonies where students drive to a designated location at a designated time to get their diplomas
- Outdoor ceremonies with 10 people or less who are socially distanced
Additional guidance can be found on the Ohio Department of Education’s website.
“Ohio has 612 school districts. Each school district must work with their local health department to make sure that their plan is in accordance with public health guidelines to deal with the pandemic,” said Governor DeWine. “I understand how hard it is for the Class of 2020. This is not how any of us envisioned your graduation, but I am confident that our schools will be resourceful and creative in how they can honor you.”
Governor DeWine also stressed that any graduation parties cannot exceed 10 people in one space.
CURRENT OHIO DATA:
There are 17,303 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 937 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 3,421 people have been hospitalized, including 1,014 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page.
For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.