CLEVELAND — In retail business there is a relationship that exists between seller and consumer, a give and take ending hopefully in the mutual satisfaction of a purchase. The reopening of the economy in this current climate is reliant on such an agreement as well. Businesses providing a safe, clean environment for their customers and those customers following the rules of social distancing and wearing masks whether legally required to or not.
"This does come back to individual decisions,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Monday. “I've talked to Ohioans and I've said look this is no longer about what I order or what our health director orders it's about what you do each and every day and it's going to depend on how well we do everything."
“Ninety percent of our economy is gong to be open by tomorrow but if people don't have confidence, if they don't think they're safe at a restaurant, if they don't think they're safe in going to a jewelry store, they're not going to go out,” DeWine added. “This is not going to come overnight but that's why these two things getting the economy moving and staying healthy are so tied together.”
In all, 45 states this week are easing restrictions even as the number of new cases in a third of them, including Ohio, increases.
Senator Rob Portman believes we’re ready.
"I think it's time to start to reopen in Ohio and do so in a safe way,” Portman told News 5. He believes that Ohio is in a better position than they were thanks to an increase in the ability to do testing in the state.
"When you reopen you want to be sure that you can stay open and testing is important,” he said. “As of about two weeks ago we were testing around 3,700 people a day; in two weeks we will be testing 22,000 people a day. That's a 600 percent increase, so we're moving in the right direction."
But Portman agrees it comes down to consumers, not just retailers upholding their end to do like what most lawmakers are doing on Capitol Hill: keeping a safe distance and wearing masks.
"I'm wearing a mask whenever I'm around people or even in the halls or voting," Portman said. "We're asked to do that. It's important that we show the respect for the rules here because if somebody did get sick it would be tough to continue to convene."
