Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for Friday, June 5

Below are the updates from Friday’s press conference with Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted, and Dr. Acton.  The next press conference is currently scheduled for Tuesday, June 9^th.  

Here’s the news from Friday: 

• Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
• 35,096 confirmed cases
• 2,662 probable cases  
• 37,758 total cases
• 6,385 hospitalizations
• 2,135 confirmed deaths
• 220 probable deaths
• 2,355 total deaths
• 1,632 ICU admissions
• More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE. 

• Governor DeWine announced that casinos, racinos, amusement parks, and water parks will be permitted to reopen on June 19^th. Attached is guidance for casinos and racinos. Additionally, Governor DeWine also authorized the Memorial Golf Tournament to be held from July 13^th to 19^th. 

• Dr. Acton signed the third amended Directors Order to limit access to Ohio’s nursing homes and similar facilities, with exception. This order allows properly prepared assisted living facilities and intermediate care facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities to begin to allow outdoor visitation on June 8^th. The lifted restrictions do not yet apply to nursing homes. A copy of the order is attached. 

• Governor DeWine also announced that he has directed Adjutant General John C. Harris Jr. to work with Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Tom Stickrath to set up enhanced procedures to ensure that members of the Ohio National Guard do not have ties to hate groups. The announcement comes after a member of the Ohio National Guard was removed from a mission in Washington, D.C., after the FBI uncovered information that the individual expressed white supremacist ideology on the internet prior to the assignment. The Ohio National Guard and Ohio Department of Public Safety are fully cooperating with the FBI investigation. The Guardsman has been suspended from all missions at this time, and following due process, it is highly likely that he will be permanently removed from the Ohio National Guard. 

• Please continue to help us inform communities about the importance of COVID-19 testing. The Ohio Department of Health encourages expanded testing and has established priorities for testing that include symptomatic people in all settings. A map of testing sites, including private companies and community health centers, has been posted here on the coronavirus.ohio.gov website. Thank you for your assistance in spreading the word about these important services. 

• For the week ending May 30, 2020, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported 34,575 initial jobless claims to the U.S. Dept. of Labor. Over the last 11 weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $3.5 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 668,000 claimants. Of the more than 1 million applications the agency has received, nearly 94% have been processed, with about 6% pending. 

• 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.