PARMA, Ohio — As more businesses start to reopen across Ohio, leaders in Cuyahoga County are worried about how that will affect COVID-19 mitigation efforts. They’re urging people to be even more cautious as some restrictions are being lifted.
“We're seeing a lot more employer infection, infections in workplace settings over the last week,” Cuyahoga County Board of Health Medical Director Heidi Gullett said.
Gullett says those infections could have come from essential businesses that were already open or ones that have only recently opened. But now that even more people are heading back to work, she wants people to follow COVID-19 prevention guidelines intensely.
“I suspect if we don’t stay true to these great public health measures, that will be an issue for our community,” Gullett said.
Those guidelines include social distancing, wearing cloth face masks and hand washing, as well as regular cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces. During a press conference today, Health Commissioner Terry Allan said officials are still early on in their response to COVID-19, and it's important that people stay vigilant.
“The sacrifices we continue to make will be the measure of how many of us continue to contract COVID-19, and, sadly, how many of us may die. We anticipate and are preparing for increases in cases and more deaths even as we open up. We can't be fooled by the warmer weather,” Allan said.
The county's focus is on business owners who are reopening and making sure those safety practices are in place. But, Gullett adds, new transmissions have occurred from some workers easing up on those practices outside of the workplace while engaging with co-workers.
“You think I’ve been at work with this person all day, we’ve been wearing masks, staying apart, I’m going to jump in the car with them, we can really let off, let our masks out, because you’re really just trying to relax, and that’s where the spread happens,” Gullett said.
Gullett says her team is tasked with finding any potential transmission risk for the infection - anywhere. That includes newly re-opened businesses.
“It is a full-time job making sure that we clearly identify risks for this infection to spread. That is the idea behind needing more testing. So as we open up, we will be able to encourage more testing,” Gullett said.
Allan is encouraging business owners, employees and patrons to head to Ohio’s coronavirus website to learn more about those safety guidelines.
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Jade Jarvis is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
