Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for Tuesday February 9

Below are the updates from Governor DeWine’s press conference. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Thursday, February 11^th at 2:00 PM.  

Here’s the news from Tuesday: 

• Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
• 801,505 confirmed cases
• 123,845 probable cases  
• 925,350 total cases
• 47,853 hospitalizations
• 10,468 confirmed deaths
• 1,325 probable deaths
• 11,793 total deaths
• 6,869 ICU admissions  
• More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE. 

K-12 PROGRESS

• Governor DeWine announced progress toward the goal of getting K-12 students back into the classroom by March 1.
• In December, 45 percent of Ohio students were attending school remotely full-time, but today, less than 15 percent of Ohio students are still attending classes completely online. 
• Despite this progress, the pandemic has taken a toll on academic progress, as demonstrated in the Ohio Department of Education’s fall 2020 enrollment report. 

• Governor DeWine asked school districts to work with their communities to help students advance and make up for any learning that may have been lost or delayed because of the pandemic. 

• Governor DeWine also requested that school districts design plans to meet the needs of the students in their districts that include ending the school year later than scheduled, beginning the new year early, or even extending the school day.
• Summer programs, tutoring, or remote options could also be considered. School districts should provide their plans to the public and General Assembly no later than April 1. 

• Lt. Governor Husted today also highlighted a provision in the proposed Executive Budget that guarantees student access to a computer science education. 

• The “right to access” computer science classes would be defined as the statutory right of a student to be able to take a class either offered directly by their school district or through another provider of the student’s choice.
• However, the program must be approved through the Ohio Department of Education. 

RENT ASSISTANCE

• The Ohio Development Services Agency is now distributing $100 million in federal funding to help low-income Ohioans who do not own their own home pay their rent, water, sewer, wastewater, electric, gas, oil and/or trash removal bills. 

• Ohioans can apply for assistance with outstanding balances dating back to March 13, 2020, assistance for future rent/utility payments once back bills have been made current, and assistance for future rent and utility assistance for three months at a time. 

• Eligible Ohio households must: 
  • Be at or below 80% of their county’s Area Median Income (varies by county and size of household); 
  • Have experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19; and 
  • Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability. 

• The funding, which was approved by the Ohio Controlling Board for distribution, will be divided among Ohio’s 47 Community Action Agencies. Ohioans can apply for assistance by contacting their local Community Action Agency. A list of agencies can be found at businesshelp.ohio.gov under Home Relief Grants. 

MAINTENANCE COVID-19 VACCINE PROGRAM

• Governor DeWine announced that Ohio's maintenance COVID-19 vaccine program plan to ensure residents and staff within nursing homes and assisted living facilities have continuing access to the life-saving vaccine is nearly complete.
• The plan will outline how nursing homes and assisted living facilities will move forward to vaccinate new residents, new workers, and workers who initially declined the vaccine but are now willing to be vaccinated. The plan will leverage existing relationships between nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and the pharmacies that regularly provide them with prescription drugs.  

• In preparation for the release of this plan, Governor DeWine urged administrators for long-term and assisted-living facilities to find out if their facility already has a pharmacy provider that can administer the vaccine.
• If the provider is not a COVID vaccine provider, they should determine if they intend to become one. 

• Since the pandemic began, individuals in long-term care settings, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities, have been at the greatest risk of death from COVID-19. Over 50 percent of Ohio’s deaths have been individuals from long-term care settings. 

• To protect family members and loved ones in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, Ohio immediately activated the federal long-term care vaccination program in mid-December.
• First and second doses of the vaccine have been administered in nearly all of Ohio's nursing homes and most of Ohio's assisted living centers. 

 

INVESTING IN OHIO:  OHIO’S FY 22-23 OPERATING BUDGET

Statements of Support for Governor DeWine’s Executive Budget

AGRICULTURE

“We thank Governor DeWine and his team for their commitment to farmers as we continue to prioritize water quality.  So far, the H2Ohio program has been successful in promoting the best practices for nutrient management on over a million acres of farmland and we look forward to building on that success in the coming years.” – Ohio Soybean Association President Ryan Rhoades 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

“I applaud Governor Mike DeWine and the administration for developing an executive budget that continues and strengthens key investments to support the health and wellbeing of Ohio’s children and families, expands access to mental health and addiction treatment services, and implements strategic improvements to Ohio’s Medicaid program. The important policy initiatives and funding priorities included in the executive budget that support student wellness and success, expand broadband, grow our workforce, and strengthen the behavioral health continuum of care particularly in the areas of crisis services and care coordination for adults with serious mental illness, will pay dividends far into the future. As Ohio continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously fighting the scourge of the opioid epidemic and meeting the rising demand for mental health and addiction treatment services, these investments are vital to restoring the health of our communities, workforce, and restoring Ohio’s economy. The Ohio Council looks forward to working with the DeWine Administration, the Ohio General Assembly, and other advocates as the state budget for the upcoming biennium is examined, debated, and ultimately enacted into law.” – Teresa Lampl, CEO Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Services Providers

HIGHER EDUCATION

We commend Governor DeWine and his administration for their ongoing commitment to higher education in this challenging budgetary environment and for recognizing that Ohio’s top-tier universities make the state a desirable place to learn, work and live. Ohio College Opportunity Grants, State Share of Instruction funding and Choose Ohio First Scholarships are keys to expanding access to higher education and ensuring affordability. We are also pleased that the governor has included funding for clinical teaching in health sciences and the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and provided new investment in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Ohio’s only veterinary medical college plays an important role in the state’s economy, graduates more than 80% of Ohio veterinarians, and conducts groundbreaking research on animal and human health.  As Ohio’s flagship, land grant university, Ohio State’s education, research, medical care, agricultural and extension programs help support every community in the state, and this budget proposal supports several of our most important priorities. We look forward to reviewing the governor’s Investing in Ohio’s Future plan and look forward to working with him and the General Assembly throughout the budget process.  - Dr. Kristina M. Johnson, President, The Ohio State University

 

Attached are the slides that Governor DeWine used during today’s press conference. 

Ohioans can apply for unemployment benefits online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at unemployment.ohio.gov. It is also possible to file by phone at 877-644-6562 or TTY at 888- 642-8203, Monday through Friday 7AM to 7PM, Saturday 9AM to 5PM, and Sunday 9AM to 1PM. Employers with questions should email UCTech@jfs.ohio.gov.  

As always, Coronavirus.Ohio.Gov and the Department of Health hotline, 1-833-4-ASK-ODH are great resources for those who have questions.