COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the first time since Gov. Mike DeWine started holding daily weekday news conferences about Ohio’s fight with COVID-19 in early March, there will not be a Wednesday news event because the Ohio Legislature is scheduled to resume.
The Ohio House will meet at 1 p.m., and if needed, the Ohio Senate will meet at 1:30 p.m.
DeWine’s livestream has been a staple for many Ohioans who have tune into it daily at 2 p.m. Each day, Dewine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton have updated residents on the spread and containment of the disease.
Wednesday will be the first weekday without a daily news conference from the governor in nearly two months — since at least March 10.
Ohio was one of the first states to take action against coronavirus. Before Ohio even had a confirmed case of the virus, on March 3, DeWine moved to ban spectators on from watching athletes compete at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus.
On March 9, DeWine issued a stay-out-home order to prevent the spread of the virus. At that time, Ohio had three confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Soon, cities around the country canceled their St. Patrick’s Day parades, and in Ohio’s case, Dr. Acton also issued an order to postpone the 2020 Primary Election. Ohio would go on to hold its election on April 28 through a vote by mail process.
As of Tuesday, Ohio has close to 21,000 total cases and 1,135 total deaths.
The stay-at-home order has been renamed Stay Safe Ohio and extended until May 29.
May 1 was the first phase of the new order, which allowed hospitals and veterinarians to resume non-essential surgeries.
On Tuesday, certain businesses, such as manufacturing, distribution and construction, were allowed to reopen.
The next phase starts on May 12 when retail establishments are allowed to open.
The following businesses and operations remain closed under the amended order: schools, restaurants and bars, personal appearance and beauty businesses, adult day support and vocational habilitation services, older adult day care services and senior centers, child car centers, entertainment, recreation, and gymnasiums.
DeWine plans to hold his next COVID-19 news conference on Thursday at 2 p.m.
Read the "Stay Safe Ohio" order here.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
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Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.
See data visualizations showing the impact of coronavirus in Ohio, including county-by-county maps, charts showing the spread of the disease, and more.
The federal government has begun distributing $1,200 Economic Impact Payments to millions of Americans to help relieve the economic burden caused by coronavirus. Click here for everything you need to know about checking the status and receiving these payments.
The CDC and the Ohio Department of Health are now recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Read more about the CDC's recommendation here. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a face mask from common household materials, without having to know how to sew.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
Here is everything you need to know about testing for coronavirus in Ohio.
Here's a list of things in Northeast Ohio closed due to coronavirus concerns
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
