Coronavirus latest: 67,995 cases in Ohio; 20,223 in Kentucky; 52,685 in Indiana Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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>> ONCE AGAIN OHIO GOVERNOR MIKE DEWINE’S CORONAVIRUS PRESS CONFERENCE. LAST WEEK WE LEARNED SEVEN COUNTIES, INCLUDING HAMILTON AND ALERT COUNTY, WERE IN THE LEVEL THREE, THAT RED ZONE, AND ALL OF THOSE COUNTIES WERE REQUIRED ASK MANDATES THAT STARTED AT 6:00 P.M. LAST NIGHT. WE WONDER, FRANKLIN COUNTY, IS IT REACHING THAT FOURTH LEVEL COME THAT PURPLE BARRIER? HAVE OTHER COUNTIES REACHED HIGHER? LET’S LISTEN IN. GOV. DEWINE: LAST WEEK, WE TALKED ABOUT THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND STEPS THAT K-12 SCHOOLS WILL NEED TO TAKE TO REOPEN. TODAY WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. 167 INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN THE STATE OF OHIO. WE ARE VERY, VERY PROUD OF THESE SCHOOLS, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. OHIO IS BLESSED TO HAVE THEM. THEY ALSO, OF COURSE, ARE PREPARING TO START UP SCHOOL AGAIN. AND FOR MOST OF THEM, RETURNING TO CAMPUS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES REALLY DRIVE OUR ECONOMY. THEY DRIVE THE LOCAL ECONOMY, THAT VILLAGE, CITY, BUT THEY ALSO DRIVE OUR ECONOMY IN MANY OTHER WAYS. THEY TRAIN OUR FUTURE WORKFORCE FROM -- FOR MAJOR EMPLOYERS. THEY MAKE OHIO A NATIONAL LEADER. THAT IS WHY WE ARE GOING TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO SUPPORT THEM IN THIS ENDEAVOR. THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION, IN CONSULTATION WITH OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND OUR DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HEALTH EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE PRODUCE GUIDANCE FOR OUR CAMPUSES TO REOPEN FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF IN THE SAFEST WAY POSSIBLE. I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO TO RANDY GARDNER, THE CHANCELLOR, WHO HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY ON THIS, ALONG WITH HIS TEAM. A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR COLLEGES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. WE ARE RELEASING GUIDANCE TODAY. THAT IS AT WWW. CORONAVIRUS.OHIO.GOV. IT INCLUDES MINIMUM OPERATING STANDARDS THAT SHOULD OCCUR AT ALL CAMPUSES ACROSS THE STATE, AS WELL AS BEST PRACTICES TO FURTHER ENHANCE THOSE STANDARDS. BUT IMPLEMENTING THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND BEST PRACTICES, OUR HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO EDUCATE STUDENTS AND PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. OHIO’S TWO AND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE UNIQUE COMMUNITIES WITH STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF. AS THEY PLANNED FOR OPERATIONS THIS FALL, TESTING WILL BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THEIR COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGES TO STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. EACH OF OHIO’S CAMPUSES MUST IDENTIFY HOW IT CAN BEST IMPLEMENT COVID-19 TESTING WITHIN THE INSTITUTION. EACH CAMPUS MUST DEVELOP POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TAILORED TO THEIR PARTICULAR CAMPUS, THEIR PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, ALL RELATED TO COVID-19 TESTING. AND THE ISOLATION OF THOSE STUDENTS SHOWING SYMPTOMS, THOSE FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS, AS WELL. TESTING OF THESE INDIVIDUALS SHOWING SYMPTOMS SHOULD CERTAINLY TAKE PRIORITY OVER ALL OTHER TESTING TACTICS. TESTING, WE WOULD HOPE, WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AFTER IT IS DONE SO THEY CAN TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT EACH CAMPUS EITHER DESIGNATE A UNIVERSITY HOUSING SPACE TO BE SET ASIDE OR SECURE A LOCAL LIVING SPACE TO BE LEFT EMPTY SO THAT IT MAY BE USEFUL TO RAPIDLY RELOCATE INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE IN RESIDENCE HALLS, FRATERNITIES, OR OTHER INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATE HOUSING FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO BECOME SYMPTOMATIC. WE KNOW THAT THIS COSTS MONEY. WE KNOW THAT COVID-19 PREVENTION EFFORTS, SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, EDUCATING STUDENTS THIS SCHOOL YEAR IN A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT WILL BE CERTAINLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN IN THE YEARS PAST. AND THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT BURDEN. SO TO HELP ADDRESS THESE INCREASING COSTS, I HAVE SPOKEN AND WORKED WITH SPEAKER HOUSEHOLDER, SENATE PRESIDENT, AND DEMOCRAT LEADERS. ALL FIVE OF US HAVE LOOKED AT THIS, AND ALL FIVE OF US HAVE HAD OUR TEAMS WORKING ON THIS, AND WE BELIEVE WE HAVE COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WILL BE VERY HELPFUL TO BOTH OUR K-12 SCHOOLS , AS WELL AS OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. TO START THAT, WE ARE REQUESTING THAT THE CONTROLLING BOARD, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO MEET I BELIEVE ON MONDAY, APPROVE OUR INITIAL REQUEST ON MONDAY TO ALLOCATE $200 MILLION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND $100 MILLION FOR THE K-12 FROM THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND TO HELP MEET THESE INCREASING COSTS. AS I SAID, WE HOPE YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL MONEY, AND THE FIGURE WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, K-12, IS CERTAINLY HIGHER THAN THAT INITIAL $100 MILLION, BUT WE WANT TO GET THIS $100 MILLION OUT, AND WE WANT TO LET YOU SCHOOLS BE ABLE TO PLAN BASED UPON THAT MONEY, THAT MONEY COMING. AS I SAID, THIS MONEY COMES FROM FEDERAL CARES ACT DOLLARS. I WANT TO THANK OUR MEMBERS OF THE FEDERAL CONGRESS, BOTH IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, FOR PROVIDING THESE CARE DOLLARS. MONEY COMING FROM FEDERAL CARES ACT DOLLARS, AND SCHOOLS WILL BE ABLE TO USE IT TO MEET THE UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. WE INTEND FOR THIS FUNDING TO BE FLEXIBILITY -- TO BE FLEXIBLE. FOR EXAMPLE, A COMMUNITY COLLEGE MAY NEED ASSISTANCE FUNDING TESTING AT THEIR STUDENT HEALTH CENTER. A LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY NEED A NURSE TO HELP WITH SYMPTOMS ASSESSMENT. A UNIVERSITY COULD USE FUNDING TO PURCHASE PPE. THESE ARE JUST ALL EXAMPLES OF MANY THINGS, MANY WAYS THAT THIS MONEY CAN BE SPENT. SOME MAY EVEN EAT -- EVEN CHOOSE TO USE MONEY TO PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY TO STUDENTS AND GROW DISTANCE-LEARNING OPTIONS. BOTTOM LINE, WE INTEND THESE FUNDS TO SERVE STUDENTS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. AGAIN, WE WANT OUR KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL. WE WANT THEM SAFE. AND THIS MONEY WILL HELP ACHIEVE THAT. AT THE K-12 LEVEL, WE INTEND TO MAKE THE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS. FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, WE PLAN TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR TWO AND FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, BOTH -- INCLUDING ADULT CAREER PROVIDERS. WE WANT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WAS SOME OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING WE HAVE AVAILABLE. OUR REQUEST IN REGARD TO THE CONTROLLING BOARD THAT WE ARE ASKING THE CONTROLLING BOARD -- THERE IS ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT I WOULD POINT OUT THAT IS BEING MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CARES ACT FOR EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF OHIO. $440 MILLION IN DIRECT CARES ACT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE FOR OUR K-12 SCHOOLS. $440 MILLION, THIS IS MONEY THAT WHEN THEY INCUR A COST, THEY CAN DRAW THIS MONEY DOWN. THE STATE’S COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ALSO RECEIVE MORE THAN $190 MILLION OF DIRECT FEDERAL FUNDING. TWO FIGURES, $440 MILLION FOR K-12, $190 MILLION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF OHIO, THAT IS IN ADDITION TO THE MONEY THAT WE ARE ASKING THE STATE CONTROLLING BOARD TO IMPROVE -- APPROVE. WE HOPE SCHOOLS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FUNDING. WE CERTAINLY REALIZE, HOWEVER, THAT IT MAY NOT COVER ALL THE INCREASED EXPENSES SCHOOLS PHASE DURING THIS PANDEMIC. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LOOK TO SEE IF WE CAN PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDS IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE WANTED TO GET STARTED WITH THESE DOLLARS. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS GRANT. IN APRIL, I ANNOUNCED A ONE MILLION-DOLLAR GRANT TO THE COALITION OF HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING TO SUPPORT HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION EFFORTS AND TO RAPIDLY TREEHOUSE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO WERE, IN FACT, EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS CAN BE A GREAT RISK OF CONTRACTING COVID, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE CONGREGATE FACILITIES SUCH AS HOMELESS SHELTERS. THEREFORE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP THEM OUT OF THOSE SITUATIONS. WITH THESE RESOURCES, WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP HUNDREDS OF OHIOANS SAFELY HOUSED DURING THIS PANDEMIC. TODAY I AM ANNOUNCING AN ADDITIONAL $15 MILLION GRANT TO ENSURE OHIOANS CAN MAINTAIN THEIR HOUSING DURING THIS TIME. COVID-19 IS STILL VERY, VERY MUCH WITH US. I DO NOT HAVE TO REMIND ANYBODY THAT. AND THESE RESOURCES WILL HELP FAMILIES -- THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES ACROSS OUR STATE STAY HOUSED, STAY HEALTHY, AND GET READY FOR THE FUTURE. WE ARE ALL NOW, AS THE VIRUS SPREADS, WE ARE ALL STARTING TO EXPERIENCE KNOWING PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME DOWN WITH COVID-19. WE RECEIVED WORD TODAY THAT SOMEONE ON MY STAFF HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19. THE INDIVIDUAL HAS BEEN WORKING FROM HOME SINCE THE START OF THIS PANDEMIC. WISH THE PERSON THE BEST AS THEY RECOVER. AND THIS, I GUESS, IS JUST A REMINDER FOR EVERYONE THAT THIS VIRUS IS VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH WITH US. LET’S GO AND LOOK AT THE DATA FOR TODAY. FIRST, WE WILL START WITH THE KEY INDICATORS. AGAIN, STARTING WITH THE CASES, WE ARE SEEING CASES HOVER ABOVE 1000 A DAY, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN CERTAINLY THERE WERE BEFORE WE ARE REPORTING TODAY 1150 NEW CASES WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT FROM LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS DURING THE LAST 24 HOURS. THIS IS A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN OUR PEAK LAST WEEK BUT STILL CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN WHERE WE WERE THREE WEEKS AGO. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE PATTERN WE HAVE SEEN AND ARE CONTINUING TO SEE WHEN THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN IT WAS. LOOKING AT THE REST OF THE DATA, YOU WILL SEE HERE THE DEATHS OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS OR 15 OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS. THE 21-DAY AVERAGE IS 18, SO THAT IS A LITTLE BIT UNDER THAT. HOSPITALIZATION IS UP ABOVE THE 21-DAY AVERAGE, 81 VERSUS AN AVERAGE OF 70 FOR 21 DAYS. ICU ADMISSIONS IS UP A LITTLE BIT STAYED WHITE AS WELL. WHEN YOU GET TO THE FURTHER DATA, WE WILL KIND OF LOOK AT THIS AS IT BREAKS OUT BY REGION OF THE STATE. LET’S LOOK AT THE NEXT ONE, AND LET ME ALSO POINT OUT THAT THESE, SOME OF THESE ARE, IN FACT, LAGGING INDICATORS, CERTAINLY IN REGARD HOSPITALIZATION. AND WHEN WE GET TO NEW CASES, THAT IS EVEN FURTHER OUT BEFORE WE SEE PEOPLE GO TO THE HOSPITAL OR WE SEE THEM GET INTO ICU. LET’S LOOK AT THE CURRENT CONFIRMED COVID-19 PATIENT COUNT IN OHIO HOSPITALS BY DAY. THE PREVIOUS SLIDE DEPICTED THE NUMBER OF NEW COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE REPORTED. THIS SLIDE ALSO LOOKS AT HOSPITALIZATIONS BUT SHOWS THE DAILY NUMBER OF COVID-19 PATIENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY, CURRENTLY IN OHIO HOSPITALS. YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS SLIDE THAT ON JUNE 26, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WERE 619 COVID-19 PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS AROUND THE STATE OF OHIO. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE INCREASED THAT. AS OF TODAY, A SNAPSHOT AS OF TODAY, 905. JUNE 26, 600 19. TODAY, 905 COVID PATIENTS IN OUR HOSPITALS IN THE STATE OF OHIO. JUNE 26, 619. DURING THE PAST FEW WEEKS, THE INCREASE HAS BEEN STEADY, WHICH IS CERTAINLY CONCERNING AS WE SEE THESE NUMBERS GO UP. LET’S TURN TO THE NEXT SLIDE, POSITIVITY SLIDE. WE CONTINUE TO INCREASE OUR TESTING CAPACITY IN OHIO DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS. WE KNOW THAT TESTING IS AND A PORTING COMPONENT TO THE ONGOING MONITORING OF THIS -- IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT TO THE ONGOING MONITORING OF THE VIRUS APPEARED WE DO SEE A DIFFERENT EFFECT, AND I ASKED OUR TEAM ABOUT THIS TODAY. THIS IS A NUMBER WE LOOK AT. WE HAVE POSITIVITY NUMBERS STATEWIDE, SO IN OTHER WORDS, OF THE TESTS THAT WERE DONE, WHAT PERCENTAGE WERE POSITIVE, A SNAPSHOT OF THE LAST DAY AVAILABLE, 6.4, AND THAT HAS HOVERED BETWEEN 4% AND 6% FOR SOME TIME. THIS IS A HIGHER NUMBER. WE DO NOT PARTICULARLY LIKE THAT NUMBER. BUT WE ARE SEEING, FOR WHATEVER REASON, IN THE REPORTING THAT ON THE WEEKENDS, THE POSITIVITY NUMBER IS JUST LESS. OBVIOUSLY, IT IS WHO IS GETTING TESTED, WHERE THEY ARE GETTING TESTED, SO WE ARE NOT REALLY SURE. SO THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS REALLY TO LOOK AT THIS IN A SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE. WE WILL TRY IN THE FUTURE NOT ONLY TO SHOW YOU JUST THE DAY BUT I THINK THE SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE GIVES PROBABLY A MUCH BETTER LOOK AT WHAT IS GOING ON. THE POSITIVITY RATE REPORTED FOR JULY 7 WAS 6.4%, WHICH IS OHIO’S HIGHEST SINCE MAY 25. NOW WE’RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE NEW RISK LEVEL MAP, AND YOU WILL OBVIOUSLY SEE SOME CHANGES. WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS ONCE A WEEK. WE ARE DOING IT BASICALLY ON WEDNESDAY. ONCE THE DATA COMES OUT WEDNESDAY, THAN OUR TEAM STARTS WORKING WITH THAT DATA. OUR DATA TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING, ANALYZING THE DATA OVER THE PAST WEEK, UPDATED THE STATUS OF OUR COUNTIES IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM -- PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT SYSTEM. I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DATA POINTS THAT WE LOOK AT. THREE OF THE DATA POINTS HAVE TO DO WITH CASES. THE TEAM LOOKS AT NEW CASES PER CAPITA AND DETERMINE IF THERE IS A SUSTAINED INCREASE IN NEW CASES. THEY LOOK AT THE PROPORTION OF CASES NOT IN A CONGREGATE SETTING. ANOTHER GROUP OF INDICATORS LOOKS AT SYMPTOMS THEY LOOK FOR SUSTAINED INCREASE IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS, SUSTAINED INCREASE IN OUTPATIENT VISITS, SUCH AS PEOPLE GOING TO SEE THEIR DOCTOR’S OFFICE WITH SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED CASES. THE TEAM ALSO LOOKS FOR SUSTAINED INCREASES IN NEW COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS AND AN INCREASE IN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OCCUPANCY. ADDITIONAL INDICATORS WILL ULTIMATELY BE FACTORS BUT ARE NOT YET, WILL INCLUDE CONTACT TRACING, TEST PER CAPITA, AND PERCENT POSITIVITY. WE DO NOT HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE TEST POSITIVITY BROKEN DONE YET. WE DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT BY COUNTY, BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY LOOKING AT THAT. PUTTING INTO REVIEW, COUNTIES THAT MEET 02 ONE INDICATORS, PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY LEVEL 1, YELLOW. LEVEL TWO, ORANGE, TRIGGERED WHEN TWO TO THREE PUBLIC HEALTH INDICATORS ARE MET. FOR COUNTIES THAT MEET FOUR TO FIVE INDICATORS, THEY ARE LISTED AS LEVEL 3, WHICH IS THE RED. COUNTIES. ONCE A COUNTY IS AT LEVEL THREE, ADDITIONAL FACTOR THAT THEN COMES INTO PLAY IS IF THEY CANNOT IMPROVE THEIR RISK LEVEL CATEGORY UNLESS CASES DROP BELOW THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION’S THRESHOLD FOR HIH INCIDENCE, FOR HIGH INCIDENCE, AND THAT IS 100 NEW CASES PER 100,000 PEOPLE OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS. FOR A COUNTY TO BE CONSIDERED LEVEL FOUR, PURPLE, COUNTY MUST TRIGGER SIX OR MORE INDICATORS DURING TWO REPORTING PERIODS IN A ROW. ONCE A COUNTY IS A LEVEL FOUR, CANNOT IMPROVE ITS RISK LEVEL UNTIL IT IS NOT TRIGGERING SIX OR MORE INDICATORS FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE REPORTING PERIODS. SO LET’S LOOK AT THE MAP, AND WE WILL KIND OF GO THROUGH THESE COUNTIES ONE BY ONE. WE WILL START WITH HAMILTON COUNTY. HAMILTON COUNTY, YOU WILL SEE, HAS MOVED UP. IT WAS RED. IT IS NOW ON WHAT WE CALL THE WATCHLIST, WHICH MEANS IT BASICALLY HAS MET THE CRITERIA TO GO PURPLE, BUT WE’RE GOING TO ALLOW A WEEK TO LAPSE AND LOOK AT THE DATA AGAIN ANOTHER WEEK BEFORE WE ACTUALLY MOVE IT INTO THAT PURPLE AND BEFORE IT LOOKS PURPLE ON THE MAP. HAMILTON COUNTY. DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, HAMILTON COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASES INCREASED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS PER BETWEEN 224 AND JUNE 20 -- BETWEEN JUNE 24 AND JUNE 30, IT HAD 1124 CASES REPORTED, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF COVID-19 WEEKLY CASES REPORTED THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. FROM JUNE 16 TO JUNE 30, THE AVERAGE NEW CASES PER DAY DOUBLED FROM 82 TO 161. 82 TO 161. EXCUSE ME. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE DATA TEAM REMINDS ME IS THAT ON A LOT OF THIS DATA, ONCE YOU HIT JULY 1, THE DATA IS INCOMPLETE. SO YOU MAY CS REFERRING, FOR EXAMPLE, TO ANOTHER PERIOD FROM JUNE 16, AS ADJUSTED, TO JUNE 30, WERE RESET NEW CASES PER DAY DOUBLED FROM 82 TO 161. WE ARE CITING THAT BECAUSE JULY 1 ONWARD, THAT IS STILL FLUID. THOSE CASES ARE STILL COMING IN. AS MY TEAM REMINDS ME, DUE TO CLINICAL AND REPORTING LAGS, THESE NUMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO GROW FOR THIS REPORTING PERIOD. THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE EARLY SIGNS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE FOR COVID-19 IN HAMILTON COUNTY. FOR EXAMPLE, FROM JUNE 16 -- IF YOU LOOK AT JUNE 16 AND JUNE 30, VISITS FOR COVID-19 TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT DOUBLED FROM AN AVERAGE OF 11 PER DAY TO 22 PER DAY. MORE PEOPLE ARE ALSO VISITING THEIR DOCTORS AND BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19 MAMA BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 2. AVERAGE OUTPATIENT VISITS OR THAN TRIPLED, MORE THAN TRIPLED, FROM 52 TO 172 VISITS PER DAY. IN RECENT WEEKS, OVER 86% OF CASES ARE NOT IN CONGREGATE SETTINGS. AGAIN, SIGNALING SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSION TO A BROADER COMMUNITY. HAMILTON COUNTY ALSO HIT A NEW THRESHOLD FOR THE OVERALL UTILIZATION RATE FOR REGIONAL AND INTENSIVE CARE UNIT BEDS, WHICH EXCEEDED 80% DURING FIVE OF THE LAST SEVEN DAYS. AND SO THAT LAST INDICATOR IS AN INDICATOR THAT IS USED BY THE REGION, AS WELL. SO YOU WILL SEE THAT INDICATOR USED FOR CLERMONT COUNTY, AS WELL AS BUTLER COUNTY. THAT IS THE ONLY INDICATOR THAT IS REGIONAL BECAUSE THAT IS HOW PEOPLE USE ICU UNITS. SOMEONE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN BUTLER COUNTY, IF IN ICU, THEY MAY BE IN HAMILTON COUNTY. SO THAT METRIC MOVING UP HAD AN IMPACT ON THOSE THREE COUNTIES THAT YOU SEE IN THE FARTHEST SOUTHWESTERN PART OF THE STATE OF OHIO. LET ME MOVE TO BUTLER COUNTY. DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, BUTLER COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASES INCREASED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS. BETWEEN JUNE 20 FOUR AND JUNE 30, BUTLER COUNTY HAD 181 CASES REPORTED, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF COVID-19 WEEKLY CASES REPORTED FOR THEM SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. FROM JUNE 16 UNTIL JULY 3, THE AVERAGE NEW CASES PER DAY DOUBLED FROM 15 TO 29. DUE TO CLINICAL AND REPORTING LAGS, THESE NUMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO GROW FOR THIS REPORTING PERIOD. THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE EARLY SIGNS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE FOR COVID-19 SYMPTOMS. FROM JUNE 16 TO JULY 4, VISITS FOR COVID-19 SYMPTOMS TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TRIPLED HIM AN AVERAGE OF TWO A-DAY 10 AVERAGE OF SEVEN PER DAY. TWO PER DAY TO SET APART A PEER AND MORE PEOPLE ARE ALSO VISITING THEIR DOCTORS AND BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19, BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 7, THE AVERAGE OUTPATIENT VISITS MORE THAN DOUBLED, FROM 15 TO 38 VISITS PER DAY. AGAIN, THESE ARE THE EARLY INDICATORS. AGAIN, AS EVERY COUNTY IN THAT REGION DID, BUTLER ALSO HIT A NEW THRESHOLD FOR THE OVERALL UTILIZATION RATE FOR REGIONAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT BEDS, WHICH EXCEEDED 80% DURING FIVE OF THE LAST SEVEN DAYS. AGAIN, THAT IS AN INDICATOR THAT THAT IS A REGIONAL PROBLEM, BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE INDIVIDUALS GO REGIONALLY FOR INTENSIVE CARE UNITS, UNIT BEDS. LET’S JUMP UP TO CUYAHOGA COUNTY. DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, CUYAHOGA COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASES INCREASE, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS. BETWEEN JUNE 24 AND JUNE 30, CUYAHOGA COUNTY HAD 999 CASES REPORTED, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF COVID WEEKLY CASES REPORTED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. FROM JUNE 16 UNTIL JUNE 28, THE AVERAGE NEW CASES PER DAY MORE THAN DOUBLED, FROM 66 TO 151. MOST OF THE CASES AND CUYAHOGA COUNTY WERE IN NON-CONGREGATE SETTINGS DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS PER CUYAHOGA COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE SEEKING CARE FOR, 19 RELATED CONCERNS AT HIGHER LEVELS THAN EVER BEFORE. FOR EXAMPLE, FROM JUNE 16 TO JULY 1, COMPARE THAT, VISITS FOR COVID-19 TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT MORE THAN DOUBLED WOMEN AN AVERAGE OF 19 PER DAY TO 50 PER DAY, OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF OUTPATIENT VISITS WITH SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED COVID-19 DIAGNOSES INCREASED FROM 41 TO 233. 41 TO 233. AND THAT WAS THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF OUTPATIENT VISITS WITH SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED COVID. FINALLY, MORE RESIDENTS IN CUYAHOGA COUNTY WERE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR COVID-19. THE AVERAGE HOSPITAL ADMISSION PER DAY MORE THAN DOUBLED, 706 TO 20 ON JULY 2. LET ME GO BACK TO CLERMONT COUNTY. AGAIN, IN THE SAME -- IN OUR SAME REGION OF THE STATE. DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, CLERMONT COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASES INCREASED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL HEALTH CARE INDICATORS. FROM JUNE 16 TO JUNE 30, THE AVERAGE NEW CASES PER DAY DOUBLED FROM FOUR TO NINE. DUE TO CLINICAL AND REPORTING BACK THESE NUMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO GROW FOR THIS PERIOD. THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE EARLY SIGNS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE FOR COVID-19 SYMPTOMS. MORE PEOPLE ARE VISITING DOCTORS AND BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19. BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 2, THE AVERAGE OUTPATIENT VISITS MORE THAN TRIPLED, FROM NINE A-DAY 225 VISITS PER DAY. IN RECENT WEEKS, OVER 94% OF THE CASES ARE NOT IN CONGREGATE SETTINGS, SIGNALIN SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSION IN THE BROADER COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY SPREAD. CLERMONT COUNTY ALSO HIT A NEW THRESHOLD, OVERALL UTILIZATION RATE FOR REGIONAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT BEDS WHICH EXCEEDS 80% DURING FIVE OF THE LAST SEVEN DAYS. WE WILL MOVE TO FAIRFIELD COUNTY. DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, FAIRFIELD COUNTY POSCO 19 CASES HAVE INCREASED ALONG WITH SEVERAL ON THE -- OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS. THEY REPORTED A TOTAL OF 85 CASES PER 100,000 RESIDENTS DURING THE LAST 14 DAYS, EXCEEDING ANY PREVIOUS TWO-WEEK PERIOD HE READ OVER 20% OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY’S TOTAL CASES HAVE BEEN IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. SO MARKED CHANGE IN FAIRFIELD. DUE TO CLINICAL AND REPORTING LAGS, THESE NUMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO GROW FOR THIS PERIOD. MORE PEOPLE ARE VISITING THEIR DOCTORS AND BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19. BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 2, THE AVERAGE OUTPATIENT VISITS INCREASED FROM 11 TO 16 PER DAY. IN RECENT WEEKS, OVER 88% OF THE CASES ARE NOT IN CONGREGATE SETTINGS, SIGNALING SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSION IN THE BROADER COMMUNITY. TURNING TO FRANKLIN COUNTY. YOU WILL NOTE IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, WE WILL GET TO THIS IN A MINUTE, BUT WE HAD THEM ON THE WATCHLIST. OUR DATA TEAM HAS NOW REMOVED THEM FROM THE WATCHLIST. SO THAT IS A GOOD THING. THIS WEEK, FRANKLIN COUNTY WAS REMOVED FROM THE WATCHLIST DUE TO A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS BEING ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL BASED ON THE COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS. BUT IT STILL REMAINS AS A LEVEL THREE ALERT, RED. FRANKLIN COUNTY HAS REPORTED NEARLY 2200 CASES DURING THE LAST 14 DAYS, WHICH MEANS ACCOUNT EXCEEDS THE HIGH INCIDENCE CATEGORY FOR COVID-19 AS DEFINED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. COVID-19 CASES HAVE INCREASED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS, BEGINNING ON JUNE 16, FRANKLIN COUNTY HAD AN AVERAGE OF 94 CASES PER DAY AND REACHED AN AVERAGE OF 175 CASES PER DAY BY JULY 2. DUE TO CLINICAL AND REPORTING LAGS COME OF THESE NUMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO GROW FOR THIS PERIOD. THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE EARLY SIGNS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE FOR COVID-19. BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 7, AVERAGE OUTPATIENT VISITS INCREASED FROM 171 TO 302 VISITS PER DAY. MORE RESIDENTS ARE GOING TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT FOR COVID-LIKE SYMPTOMS, WITH AVERAGE DAILY NUMBERS GROWING FROM 27 VISITS ON JUNE 16 TO 56 VISITS ON JULY 4. LORAIN COUNTY. DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, LORAIN COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASES HAVE INCREASED, REPORTING MORE THAN 160 CASES DURING THE LAST 14 DAYS. CASES MORE THAN DOUBLED FROM AN AVERAGE OF 5.5 CASES ON JUNE 6 TO AN AVERAGE OF 14 CASES ON JUNE 29. THE COMMUNITY IS ALSO EXPERIENCING EARLY SCIENCE THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE FOR COVID-19 SYMPTOMS. FROM JUNE 16 TO JUNE 30, VISITS FOR COVID-19 TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT DOUBLED FROM AN AVERAGE OF THREE PER DAY TO SIX PER DAY. MORE PEOPLE ARE ALSO VISITING THEIR DOCTORS AND BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19. FROM JUNE 16 TO JULY TO COME OUTPATIENT VISITS MORE THAN TRIPLED FROM AN AVERAGE OF EIGHT VISITS PER DAY TO 26. IN RECENT WEEKS, OVER 91% OF THE CASES ARE NOT IN CONGREGATE SETTINGS, SIGNALING SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSION TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY. RECENT COMMUNITY OUTBREAKS INCLUDE SETTING SUCH AS WORKPLACES AND CHILDCARE CENTERS AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. DOWN TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY, DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, MONTGOMERY COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASES HAVE INCREASED. THE COUNTY HAS REPORTED MORE THAN 600 CASES DURING THE LAST 14 DAYS, WHICH MEANS THE COUNTY IS CATEGORIZED AS HIGH INCIDENCE FOR COVID-19 AS DEFINED BY THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. CASE INCREASES FROM AN AVERAGE OF 41 CASES ON JUNE 16 TO AN AVERAGE OF 50 CASES ON JUNE 30. THE COMMUNITY HAS CONTINUED TO EXPANDS EARLY SIGNS THAT PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE FOR COVID-19 SYMPTOMS. FROM JULY 16 TO JULY 2, VISITS FOR, 19 TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM INCREASED FROM AN AVERAGE OF NINE PER DAY TO 16. MORE PEOPLE ARE ALSO VISITING THEIR DOCTORS, BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19. FROM JUNE 16 TO JULY 3 COME OUTPATIENT VISITS NEARLY QUADRUPLED, FROM AN AVERAGE OF 14 VISITS PER DAY TO 48. OVER 63% OF THE CASES ARE NOT IN CONGREGATE SETTINGS, SIGNALING TRANSMISSION TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY. A NUMBER OF COVID-19 POSITIVE PATIENTS IN THE WEST INTRO REGION’S HOSPITAL BEDS, ICU’S, ON VILLA LEADERS -- VENTILATORS HAS TRIPLED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF JUNE. SETTING SUCH AS WORKPLACES, RESTAURANTS, AND NURSING HOMES. PICKAWAY COUNTY, DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, THE COUNTY POSCO 19 CASES INCREASED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS FROM JUNE 16 UNTIL JULY 2, THE AVERAGE NEW CASES PER DAY INCREASED FROM ONE TO FOUR. DO TO CLINICAL AND REPORTING LAGS, THE NUMBERS MAY CONTINUE TO GROW. THE COMMUNITY HAS EXPENSED EARLY SIGNS AND MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE. BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 7, OUTPATIENT VISITS INCREASE FROM EIGHT TO 11. IN RECENT WEEKS, OVER 81% OF THE CASES ARE NOT IN CONGREGATE SETTINGS, SIGNALING SIGNIFICANT TRANSMISSION TO THE COMMUNITY. RECENT OUTBREAKS INCLUDE A RESTAURANT AND A FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATION. SUMMIT COUNTY, DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, SUMMIT COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASES INCREASED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS. DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS, SUMMIT COUNTY HAD A TOTAL OF 59 CASES PER 100,000. FROM JUNE 16 UNTIL JUNE 30 KARMA THE AVERAGE NEW CASES PER DAY NEARLY TRIPLED, FROM 11 TO 30. DUE TO CLINICAL AND REPORTING LAGS, THESE MAY INCREASE SOME. EARLY SIGNS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE. FOR EXAMPLE, FROM JUNE 16 TO JUNE 30 VISITS FOR COVID-19 TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT INCREASED FROM AN AVERAGE OF 5.5 PER DAY TO 8.5. MORE PEOPLE ARE VISITING THEIR DOCTORS AND BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19. BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 2, AVERAGE OUTPATIENT VISITS NEARLY TRIPLED, FROM 11 TO 29 VISITS PER DAY. THE COUNTY HAS FAITH-BASED, WORKPLACE, AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY OUTBREAKS. TRUMBULL COUNTY, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT TRUMBULL COUNTY. DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, TRUMBULL COUNTY’S COVID CASES INCREASED, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH CARE INDICATORS. DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS, THE COUNTY HAD A TOTAL OF 68 CASES PER 100,000 RESIDENTS. FROM JUNE 16 UNTIL JUNE 27, THE AVERAGE NEW CASES PER DAY DOUBLED FROM EIGHT TO 17. MORE RESIDENTS ARE VISITING THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. FROM JUNE 16 TO JUNE 29, VISITS FOR COVID-19 TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT INCREASED FROM AN AVERAGE OF THREE PER DAY TO EIGHT PER DAY. TRUMBULL COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE BEING ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR CORONA FROM ONE TO 616. ONE ON JUNE 16 TO FOUR ON JULY 1. TRUMBULL COUNTY HAS AN OUTBREAK AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN SEVERAL LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES. WOOD COUNTY DURING THE LAST THREE WEEKS, THE COVID-19 CASES HAVE INCREASED WITH SEVERAL OTHER INDICATORS. DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS, THE COUNTY HAD A TOTAL OF 63 CASES PER 100,000 RESIDENTS. OVER 18% OF THE TOTAL CASES HAVE BEEN IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. FROM JUNE 16 UNTIL JULY 11, THE AVERAGE DAILY NEW CASES SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FROM LESS THAN ONE TO NINE. OVER 89% OF THE CASES ARE NOT IN CONGREGATE SETTINGS, SIGNALING THAT WE DO HAVE COMMUNITY SPREAD. THE COMMUNITY IS EXPENSING EARLY SIGNS PEOPLE ARE SEEKING MEDICAL CARE FOR COVID-19. BETWEEN JUNE 16 AND JULY 2, AVERAGE OUTPATIENT VISITS NEARLY DOUBLED , FROM THREETO SIX PER DAY. LET ME LOOK HERE. WE HAD A COUPLE OTHER THINGS. I AM GOING TO LOOK AT THIS MOMENT AND I WILL REFER TO YOU AND THEN COME RIGHT BACK. THEN WE WILL GET TO QUESTIONS. >> SURE. GOOD AFTERNOON. I HAVE A FEW THINGS ON THE JOB, JOB TRAINING, MEDICAL ADVANCEMENT, AND SPORTS FRONT. LET ME START WITH THE LAUNCH OF I-MAP, A JOB-TRAINING PROGRAM. MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT TECH READ, UPSCALING PEOPLE IN THEIR WORKFORCE THERE IS 120,000 JOBS ON THE WEBSITE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. 60,000 PAY MORE THAN $50,000 A YEAR. BUT IF YOU LOOK, YOU WILL SEE THAT TECH SKILLS ARE AN UP PART OF LANDING THOSE HIGHER-PAYING JOBS. SO WE ARE ANNOUNCING TODAY THE 2.5 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT OPPORTUNITY UNDER THE INDIVIDUAL MICRO CREDENTIAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM, IMAP, AND THIS IS FOR PROVIDERS TO REGISTER SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THESE SKILLS. THE GRANT APPLICATION IS OPEN FOR THOSE TRAINING PROVIDERS TODAY. THOSE CAN BE UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, OUR OHIO TECHNICAL CAREER CENTERS, AND PRIVATE SECTOR TRAINING GROUPS. WE KNOW A LOT OF THEM ARE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB OF GETTING THE TECH SKILLS DEVELOPED IN THEIR WORKFORCE. THIS PROGRAM WAS CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE OHIO LEGISLATURE LAST YEAR. I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR EFFORTS. IT WILL PROVIDE UP TO $3000 OF TRAINING REIMBURSEMENT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, AND YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION AT IMAP. DEVELOPMENT.OHIO.GOV. WE ARE GOING TO ASK THE TRAINING PROVIDERS FIRST TO GO AND APPLY FOR THIS, WHICH WILL WRAP UP ON JULY 24. THEN WE WILL HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON HOW INDIVIDUALS CAN GO ABOUT APPLYING FOR THIS. BUT I WANT TO PUT IT ON THEIR RADAR SCREEN TO GET THE TRAINING AND GET PROVIDERS INVOLVED SO THEY CAN QUALIFY FOR THIS AND WE CAN GET PEOPLE TRAINED UP TO TACKLE SOME OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE GROWING AS WE COME OUT OF THE ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN. AND AS WE DO THAT, I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SHARED WORK AND THE SHARED WORK EXECUTIVE ORDER THE GOVERNOR SIGNED ON JULY 2. THIS WILL ALLOW THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES TO DRAW DOWN, TO DRAW DOWN FEDERAL DOLLARS, AUTHORIZED UNDER THE CARES ACT, FOR THE SHARED WORK PROGRAM. I HAVE TALKED ABOUT SHARED WORK BEFORE, BUT LET ME GIVE A QUICK REVIEW BECAUSE IT IS A GREAT PROGRAM FOR EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES. IT IS DESIGNED TO KEEP PEOPLE WORKING, AND WE KNOW THAT WHEN YOU HAVE AN ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN, THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE ENOUGH WORK FOR ALL OF YOUR EMPLOYEES BUT YOU WANT TO KEEP THEM ON THE JOB. YOU WANT TO RETAIN THEIR TALENT FOR WHEN THE ECONOMY. -- WHEN THE ECONOMY PICKS BACK UP AND YOU CAN USE THEM FULL-TIME. THIS PROGRAM, SHARED WORK, IS DESIGNED FOR THIS. LET ME GIVE A FEW DETAILS. EMPLOYERS WHO WANT TO REDUCE STAFF AND REDUCE HOURS AND THE UNIFORM CENTAGE BETWEEN 10% AND 50%, SO THEY WILL REDUCE HOURS FOR A PLACE BETWEEN 10% AND 50%, AND MAXIMUM UP TO 52 WEEKS, AND THIS WILL KEEP PEOPLE EMPLOYED, AND AT THE SAME TIME, THOSE EMPLOYEES WILL RECEIVE SHARED WORK COMPENSATION FOR THE REMAINING HOURS, WHICH IS PRORATED AS AN UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT. SO YOU CAN WORK, DRAW DOWN YOUR SALARY FOR THAT, AND FOR THOSE HOURS THAT THE EMPLOYER IS SHORTENING THAT, YOU CAN DRAW DOWN UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. AND THE PROGRAM IS EASY TO USE AND GIVES A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY TO EMPLOYERS. JUST SO YOU KNOW, SINCE MARCH 15 WHEN WE STARTED TO PUSH THIS, 909 EMPLOYERS HAVE USED IT. 1680 SHARED WORK OHIO PLANS HAVE BEEN ADVANCED, AND THAT HAS ALLOWED 46,352 EMPLOYEES TO STAY ON THE JOB AND STILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE THEIR WORK AND ALSO GET COMPENSATED FOR THE HOURS THAT THEY ARE NOT WORKING. SO THAT IS REALLY WORKING WELL TO KEEP PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN OHIO, AND WE WANT TO KEEP THAT GOING. THAT MAY ADD SOME GOOD NEWS ON THE MEDICAL FRONT, AND I WILL REMIND PEOPLE ABOUT PLASMA DONATION. ON CORONAVIRUS.OHIO.GOV, UNDER THE CHECKLIST STATION THERE ARE RESOURCES ABOUT DONATING PLASMA. CONVALESCENT PLASMA IS VERY HELPFUL, RICH IN ANTIBODIES THAT COULD BE USED TO ATTACK COVID-19 AS A TREATMENT FOR THE SEVERITY OF THE VIRUS AND FOR THE LENGTH OF DURATION. PEOPLE WHO HAVE FULLY RECOVERED FROM COVID-19 FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSIDER DONATING. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO DONATE AT REDCROSSBL OOD.ORG/PLASMAFORCOVID. SO GO TO THE RED CROSS WEBSITE. RE ROSSBLOOD.ORG/PLASMAFORCOVID. OUR CONTACT ANY RED CROSS OR PLASMA DONOR CENTER. OSU’S WEXLER MEDICAL CENTER IS ALSO A PLACE YOU CAN CONTACT FOR WAYS TO HELP. THE HOCKS WHERE THE BLOOD CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI IS ANOTHER PLACE COLLECTING IT. YOU CAN FIND THAT AT THEIR WEBSITE. I KNOW THAT THE DOCTOR AT THE CHRIST HOSPITAL IN CINCINNATI, AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS MANY TIMES, HE HAS TOLD ME THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS IN THE INVESTIGATIVE STAGE, THE OHIO MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE HAVING SUCCESS WITH THIS. SO PLASMA DONATION, OHIO INNOVATORS IN THE MEDICAL CARE FIELD ARE USING THIS TO HELP PEOPLE NOT ONLY SURVIVE WHEN THEY ARE IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS BUT TO EVEN SHORTEN THE STAY ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE. FINALLY, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT SPORTS AND THE RETURN TO PLAY PLAN. MANY NONCONTACT SPORTS HAVE BEEN ACTIVE. WE HAVE A TEMPORARY ORDER UNDER SPECIFIED CIRCUMSTANCES TO ALLOW CONTACT TO GO FORWARD UNTIL JULY 15 NEXT WEEK. WE HAVE LAUNCHED THE #IWANTASE ASON TO TRY AND REMIND YOUNG PEOPLE THAT IF THEY WANT TO HAVE A SEASON AND CONTROL THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS TO THEIR TEAMMATES AND FAMILY, THEY SHOULD WEAR A MASK AND SOCIALLY DISTANCE. VERY IMPORTANT. BUT WE WILL HAVE MORE GUIDANCE HERE AND PEOPLE WANT TO PLAN. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SOME OF THESE PORTS IN CONTACT SPORTS THAT WE DO NOT HAVE FUTURE GUIDANCE ON, THAT WILL BE COMING NEXT WEEK. WANTED TO KEEP YOU INFORMED ON THAT. WE ARE TRYING TO HAVE THESE GREAT CONVERSATIONS ON WHAT WE ARE LEARNING, TALKING WITH THE SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS FROM AROUND THE STATE. OHIO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, OUR COLLEGE AND PROFESSIONAL TEAMS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LEARNING HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE, AND THEM TO PARTICIPATE. AND WE WILL BE FORTHCOMING WITH MORE INFORMATION STARTING SOMETIME NEXT WEEK. SO THAT IS MY QUICK UPDATE ON ALL OF THOSE TOPICS. PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY. PLEASE DONATE PLASMA IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID AND YOU WANT TO HELP SOMEBODY ELSE OUT. WE WILL CONCLUDE WITH THAT AND TURN BACK TO THE GOVERNOR FOR A COUPLE OF MORE ITEMS. GOV. DEWINE: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JUST A COUPLE OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE QUESTIONS. ONE THING TO NOTE ON THE MAP IS THAT HURON COUNTY WAS MOVED DOWN, BARELY. IT WAS THAT CLOSE. BUT WE’RE GOING TO FOLLOW THESE NUMBERS. SO THAT IS A GOOD THING. WE ARE VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. AND WE HOPE THAT THAT CONTINUES TO SEE OTHER COUNTIES GET A LOWER LEVEL OF RISK. ALSO WOULD MENTION, WE HAD 18 COUNTIES MOVE FROM YELLOW TO ORANGE. OF NOTE, HIGHLAND COUNTY MET TWO INDICATORS, WHICH WOULD MOVE IT, BUT IT STILL REMAINS YELLOW BECAUSE THEY ARE A LOW INCIDENT COUNTY. THIS MEANS THEY HAVE, UNDER THE CRITERIA WE HAVE SET UP, THEY HAVE FEWER THAN 10 CASES PER 100,000 FOR A TWO-WEEK PERIOD, WHICH AUTOMATICALLY MAKES THEM, ACCORDING TO OUR ORDER, A LEVEL 1 COUNTY. APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING AS LONG TO GO THROUGH EACH COUNTY. I WANT PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS FROM ONE OF THESE COUNTIES TO AT LEAST BE ABLE TO HEAR -- I SUSPECT WHAT WE WILL DO GOING FORWARD AS WE WILL TRY TO BE A LITTLE MORE CRISPER IN THE SUMMARIZATION OF THE COUNTIES. THIS IS GOING TO BE POSTED, A BASIC SUMMARY OF EACH OF THE RED COUNTIES. THAT WILL BE POSTED SO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GO ONLINE AND LOOK AT THAT PARTICULAR COUNTY. AGAIN, WE HAVE SOME COUNTIES MOVING AROUND. A COUPLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, A COUPLE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. BUT WE -- THE GOAL HERE IS TO TRY TO KEEP YOU INFORMED WHERE YOUR COUNTY IS THE BEST THAT WE CAN DO THAT. THE DATA WE HAVE SHARED WITH YOU , WE ALSO WANT TO PUT IT INTO A CATEGORY OR A COLOR THAT MAKES IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAP. THOSE COUNTIES THAT ARE ON WATCH , HAMILTON, ELLER, CUYAHOGA COUNTY, THAT MEANS THAT THEY REALLY, FOR ONE WEEK, QUALIFIED TO GO INTO PURPLE, AND WE ARE NOT PUTTING THEM INTO PURPLE UNTIL THEY DO TWO WEEKS, SO WE PUT A STAR THERE THAT DESIGNATES THEY ARE ON THAT KIND OF WATCHLIST. READY FOR QUESTIONS. >> GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM WITH THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH. OBVIOUSLY WITH THE DESIGNATIONS OF THESE NEW RED COUNTIES, WE HAVE MASK ORDERS EXPANDING FARTHER STILL. WHY DID YOU FEEL THE NEED FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING THIS PANDEMIC TO DIRECTLY REGULATE PEOPLE WITH RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS, AND WHY ARE YOU CONVINCED THIS IS ALLOWED UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT? WHAT SPECIFIC EXAMPLES ON COVID SPREAD CAN YOU CITE FROM RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS THAT REQUIRE ALL CONGREGANTS TO WEAR MASKS? GOV. DEWINE: THAT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO ASSURE EVERYONE IS THAT OHIO HAS BEEN A LEADER IN THIS IN THE SENSE THAT WE HAVE NEVER, EVER CLOSED DOWN ANY RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY, NONE. WE DO NOT INTEND TO GOING FORWARD. WE HAVE NOT REGULATED IN ANY WAY FUNERALS. WE HAVE NOT REGULATED BAPTISMS, MARRIAGES, ANYTHING, AND IT IS BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THAT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. IT IS A GREAT TRADITION IN OUR COUNTRY. AND WE ARE NOT IN ANY WAY PROHIBITING ANYONE FROM GOING TO CHURCH NOW. WHAT WE ARE SIMPLY SAYING IS THAT WE DO HAVE EXAMPLES, AND I WILL GET YOU THE EXAMPLES, BUT THERE CERTAINLY REPORTED IN THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH AND IN OTHER PAPERS, AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM TALKING TO OUR HEALTH DIRECTORS, THESE OCCUR. IT SHOULD NOT BE A SURPRISE. WHENEVER WE BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, WE SEE THAT. AND WE SEE IN LARGE GATHERINGS. SO WHEN I HAVE TALKED TO PASTORS , I HAVE SAID JUST BE CAREFUL. I GET TEXTS ALL THE TIME, WHAT CAN WE DO? I SAY, LOOK, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, BUT YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL. SO IN THIS ORDER, WOULD WE CONSIDER TO BE THE MINIMAL, AND THAT IS THAT FOLLOWING BEST MEDICAL GUIDANCE TO STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19, IN THOSE COUNTIES THAT ARE RED OR PURPLE, THAT -- ATTENDING A SERVICE, WHEN THEY CAN, A WHOLE BUNCH OF EXCEPTIONS, MEDICAL EXCEPTIONS, BUT THAT THEY SHOULD WEAR A MASK. WE HAVE PROVIDED THE PERSON OFFICIATING IT CERTAINLY DOES NOT HAVE TO WEAR A MASK DURING THE TIME THAT THEY ARE TALKING OR IN ANY WAY NEED TO NOT HAVE A MASK ON. OUR INTERPRETATION OF THAT IS GOING TO BE BROAD. SIMPLY, IF YOU HAVE A LEADER WHO STANDS UP AND LEADS -- A READER WHO STANDS UP AND READS, THAT IS FINE. SOMEONE DISTRIBUTING COMMUNION, THAT IS FINE. IF THERE’S SOME REASON THEY CANNOT HAVE THE MASK ON, IT IS USUALLY GOING TO BE SPEAKING ROLES THAT MAKE IT IN THE WAY OF THEM SPEAKING. SO IT IS A VERY LIGHT TOUCH, BUT FOR US TO IGNORE A SIGNIFICANT GATHERINGS THAT DO, IN FACT, OCCUR, DID NOT REALLY SEEM TO MAKE SENSE. SO THAT IS WHY WE DID IT. IT IS FOR PROTECTION OF A FELLOW CITIZENS, AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HOPE DOES NOT LAST VERY LONG. WHAT WE HOPE IS THAT IF WE ALL DO THIS, WE ALL WEAR MASKS, IF WE KEEP DISTANCE, THAT THESE COUNTIES WILL MOVE OUT OF RED. NOW WE HOPE PEOPLE CONTINUE TO HER MASKS, BUT WHEN THEY -- CONTINUE TO WEAR MASKS, BUT WHEN THEY ARE RED, IT IS A PROBLEM. THE TRENDLINES ARE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, AND WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT -- LOOK, WE HAVE GOT TO PROTECT YOU, AND WE HAVE GOT TO -- WHEN YOU’RE WEARING A MASK, YOU’RE GENERALLY WEARING IT FOR OTHER PEOPLE. SO THIS IS, I BELIEVE, THE THING WE NEED TO DO TO GET US OUT OF THIS YOU’RE LOOK, LET’S KEEP OUR EYE ON THE BALL. WHAT WE ARE AIMING TO DO HERE IS TO HAVE FALL WHERE WE HAVE KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL, HAVE FALL IN DUVALL SPORTS -- AND DO FALL SPORTS, DUE FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. THESE ARE THINGS WE ALL WANT TO SEE AND DO, AND WHAT WE DO IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS AIR SO -- 30 DAYS OR SO IS, FRANKLY, GOING TO DETERMINE HOW THAT ALL WORKS OUT. SO THAT IS WHY WE DID IT. >> THANK YOU, GOVERNOR. >> JACK WINDSOR, WMFD TV, MANSFIELD. 51 OF THE 88 COUNTIES HAVE HAD LESS THAN 10 DEATHS SINCE NOVEMBER 2019, 13 HAD ZERO. THEY HAVE SEEN DECLINING HOSPITALIZATIONS AND ALMOST NO DEATHS, YET LAYER IN COVIELLO. THE CDC SHOWS -- THEY ARE IN THE CODE YELLOW. CDC SHOWS GREEN, BUT WE DO NOT EVEN HAVE GREEN ON OUR MAP IN OHIO. CDC ALSO REPORTED THE 10TH STRAIGHT WEEK OF DECLINING DEATHS, INDICATING THAT COVID MAY GO BELOW THE EPIDEMIC THRESHOLD. SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC TEST TODAY, NOT ICICLE ONE OF THE SEVEN COUNTIES CODED RED BEFORE TODAY HAD I SEE YOU UTILIZATION OVER 80% AND COVID SPECIFIC WAS UNDER 10% IN ALL SEVEN COUNTIES. IT DOES NOT REFLECT AN EPIDEMIC ENVIRONMENT, YET THESE COUNTIES ARE IN CODE RED. WE ARE IN A HEIGHTENED STATE OF FEAR THAT HAS HAD AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON PEOPLE, SCHOOLS, AND BUSINESSES. GOVERNOR, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY WE ARE BEING MANDATED WERE NOW AND BEING TOLD TO BE MORE AFRAID, EVEN THOUGH OUR OWN STATE NUMBERS AND THE CDC NUMBERS TELL A DIFFERENT STORY? SIDE NOTE, ANY UPDATE ON THE ANTIBODY TESTING WE DISCUSSED LAST WEEK? GOV. DEWINE: WELL, I WILL LET THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR TALKED ABOUT ANTIBODY TESTING, BUT I WILL GO FIRST. WE SHOULD NOT FEAR. WE SHOULD NOT LIVE OUR LIVES IN FEAR. WHAT WE SHOULD BE IS WHAT OHIOANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, AND THAT IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE. WE HAVE BEEN A PEOPLE WHO HAVE FELT WE CAN CONTROL OUR DESTINY. WE CAN CONTROL THE FUTURE. AND SO WHAT WE DO IN THE NEXT 30 DAYS IS GOING TO DETERMINE IF WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO. THESE ARE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE THING AND THAT IS PUTTING A MASK ON OUT IN PUBLIC, WITH THAT EXCEPTION, THERE IS NO MANDATE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY OF THESE. IF YOU ARE YELLOW, YOU ARE YELLOW. IF YOU ARE ORANGE, YOU ARE ORANGE. LIFE CAN GO ON THE SAME WAY. WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO, THAT WE HAVE DONE THROUGHOUT THIS, IS TO TELL PEOPLE ALL THE DATA THAT WE KNOW. AND THIS IS NOT JUST CASE NUMBERS, NOT JUST ONE THING. IT IS SEVEN SEPARATE INDICATORS THAT INDICATE -- FOUR OF THE SEVEN ARE DIRECTIONAL. WHICH DIRECTION ARE WE HEADING? SO THIS GIVES US ALL AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THE FUTURE . I HAVE TALKED ABOUT BEING A FAN OF "BACK TO THE FUTURE" MOVIES. THIS KIND OF DATES ME, I GUESS, BUT THEY’RE STILL FUN TO WATCH. THE POINT IS, THERE IS ALTERNATIVE FUTURES COME ALWAYS ARE. IT IS WHICH PATHWAY WE TAKE, WHAT WE DO. AND HAVING THE BEST INFORMATION SO THAT OHIOANS CAN MAKE THOSE DECISIONS IS WHAT WE OWE TO GIVE TO THE PUBLIC. FOR THREE MONTHS, I HAVE HAD MANY OF MY FRIENDS WHO HAVE SAID, MIKE, WHY DON’T YOU GIVE US DATA COUNTY BY COUNTY? MY COUNTY IS NOT THE SAME AS SOMEBODY ELSE’S COUNTY. MY COUNTY IS DOING OK. OK. WE ARE TRYING TO GIVE NOW THE DATA BASED UPON OBJECTIVE DATA ABOUT WHERE EVERY SINGLE COUNTY IS EVE WEEK. WILL THESE NUMBERS CHANGE? WILL THESE COLORS CHANGE? YEAH, THEY ARE GOING TO CHANGE SOME WE HOPE WE START GETTING RID OF THERED, AND WE HOPE WE DON’T SEE PURPLE. AND WE HOPE ANY KIND OF ORDER TO WEAR A MASK, WE WILL PEOPLE CONTINUE TO DO IT BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY WE CAN DRIVE THESE NUMBERS DOWN, THE WAY WE CAN STOP THE SPREAD. AND THAT IS WHAT WE HOPE FOR, BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT FEAR. THIS IS ABOUT US CONTROLLING OUR FUTURE. OHIOANS CONTROLLING THEIR OWN DESTINY. AND THEY NEED INFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. LT. GOV. HUSTED: I DO NOT HAVE ANY UPDATE ON ANTIBODY TESTING TODAY. IF I CAN FIND SOMETHING -- I HAVE TEXTED BACK TO TALK TO THE STAFF ABOUT ANY UPDATES. BUT I WILL GIVE A FULL REPORT ON THAT ON TUESDAY, WHICH I HAD PLANNED TO DO, ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF WHERE THINGS HAVE COME. SO IF I DO NOT HAVE IT TODAY, I WILL HAVE IT BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. >> HI, GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MOLLY MARTINES WITH INSPECTOR AND NEWS. THE VIRUS HAS INFILTRATED AT LEAST ONE OF THE CHAMBERS. GOVERNOR DEWINE, YOU HAVE A STAFFER WHO UNFORTUNATELY TESTED POSITIVE, AND MANY MORE STAFFERS ARE BECOMING INFECTED. YET, IT SEEMS THERE IS NOT MUCH TRANSPARENCY. MANY STAFFERS ARE FINDING OUT THEY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED FROM NEWS OUTLETS. CAN YOU COMMENT ON WHY YOU THINK THAT IS? GOV. DEWINE: NO. YOU KNOW, WE’RE GOING TO TRY IT WE FOUND OUT THIS MORNING ABOUT A MEMBER OF OUR STAFF AND WANTED TO MAKE THE PUBLIC. YOU KNOW, THE PERSON THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, WHO I KNOW VERY, VERY WELL, YOU KNOW, HAD BEEN WORKING FROM HOME. SO OBVIOUSLY DID NOT GET IT IN THE OFFICE. BUT WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO SHARE ANY INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE. THAT IS WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO. >> GOVERNOR DEWINE, DAN PERLMAN WITH NBC 4 IN COLUMBUS. FRANKLIN COUNTY IS NO LONGER ON THE WATCHLIST FOR APPROACHING LEVEL FOUR ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY SYSTEM, BUT TWO NEIGHBORING COUNTIES ARE NOT LEVEL 3. SHOULD RESIDENTS IN THOSE COUNTIES BE CONCERNED PERHAPS THE VIRUS IS SPREADING FROM FRANKLIN COUNTY OUTWARD? GOV. DEWINE: I THINK THAT WOULD BE TOO SIMPLISTIC AN EXPLANATION. I DO NOT THINK ANYONE REALLY KNOWS. YOU KNOW, THE HEALTH DIRECTORS IN THOSE TWO COUNTIES PROBABLY CAN GIVE YOU SOME INDICATION BASED ON THE TRACING THAT THEY’RE DOING AND WHEN THEY TALK TO RESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY WHO HAVE COME DOWN WITH COVID-19. SO TRYING TO -- AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET BETTER DATA FOR ME AND FOR YOU SO THAT WE CAN SHARE THAT, SO I CANNOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION. IT WOULD ONLY BE SPECULATION. I AM NOT GOING TO DO THAT. BUT THOSE HEALTH ERECTORS PROBABLY -- I CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEM -- BUT THEY PROP -- THOSE HEALTH DIRECTORS PROBABLY HAVE INFORMATION ON WHERE THOSE CITIZENS GETTING AN EFFECTIVE MAY JUST GETTING INFECTED MAY HAVE BEEN. THERE ARE SOME CASES WHERE PEOPLE JUST DO NOT KNOW WERE THEY GOT IT BECAUSE YOU HAVE PEOPLE WITH NO SYMPTOMS. SO THEY MAY HAVE BEEN WITH SOMEBODY BUT THEY DO NOT KNOW THEY GOT IT FROM THEM AND THAT PERSON STILL TO THIS DAY DOES NOT KNOW THEY HAD IT. SO THE ANSWER IS I DON’T KNOW. I CANNOT REALLY ANSWER IT. >> GOOD AFTERNOON. KARIN JOHNSON, WLWT IN CINCINNATI. A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE ASKING ABOUT THIS MONEY, ALL WHAT A PIECE OF THE PIE. WHEN WILL THIS MONEY BE AVAILABLE, AND HOW CAN THEY GO ABOUT GETTING THIS? IF SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE GOING TO DO A HIGHER LEVEL OF TESTING, DOES THIS MEAN THAT SPORTS, CLUBS, AND OTHER GROUPS WILL BE ABLE TO BE UP AND RUNNING AGAIN? GOV. DEWINE: WELL, AS FAR AS THE MONEY, THE ORIGINAL MONEY FROM THE CARES ACT, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY SIMPLY DRAW IT DOWN. THEY SPEND MONEY ON SOMETHING THAT QUALIFIES, THEY THEN CAN DRAW THAT MONEY DOWN. I WAS ON A CALL WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT THE OTHER DAY, AND HE NOTED THAT I THINK LESS THAN 5% OF THIS MONEY HAS BEEN DRAWN DOWN. BUT THAT IS NOT UNUSUAL. ONE WOULD ASSUME THAT WHEN SCHOOL GETS READY TO START, MORE THAT MONEY WILL BE DRAWN DOWN. IT IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, AS WE OUTLINED. AS FAR AS THE NEW MONEY THAT WE ARE GOING TO TAKE AND DESIGNATE FROM THE CARES DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE AND SOMETHING WE HAVE WORKED WITH THE LEGISLATURE ON, THAT MONEY WILL BE IN FRONT OF THE CONTROLLING BOARD ON MONDAY, AND AS SOON AS THEY VOTE ON THAT, ASSUMING THAT THEY RELEASE THAT MONEY, THEN THE PROCESS WILL START TO RELEASE THAT MONEY. LT. GOV. HUSTED: WE CANNOT SPEND MONEY WE DO NOT HAVE YET, SO WE ARE GOING TO WAIT ON THE LEGISLATURE TO GET THIS DONE, AND I AM SURE THEY WILL BE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT SUPPORTING SCHOOLS. LOOK, WE KNOW THAT THEY’RE GOING TO BE COVID-RELATED EXPENSES, AND WE JUST WANTED TO LET THEM KNOW AND SIGNALED TO THEM THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE RESOURCES ON THAT AND WE WILL FILL IN THE DETAILS TO THAT AS IT GOES FORWARD. BUT TO YOUR QUESTION, SCHOOLS ARE NERVOUS. THEY KNOW THESE THINGS ARE OUT THERE. WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO TODAY IS TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE IS A PLAN TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE COVID-RELATED EXPENSES. >> HI, I AM FROM COLUMBUS BUSINESS FIRST. THE CENSUS BUREAU ESTIMATES LAST MONTH THAT 500,000 OHIOANS STRUGGLED TO PAY THE RENT. THE EVICTION MORATORIUMS ARE ENDING. YOU ANNOUNCED TODAY $15 MILLION FOR HOUSING STABILITY FUNDS, BUT LAST MONTH YOU GOT A LETTER FROM 180 ORGANIZATIONS SAYING THE NUMBER NEEDED WAS PROBABLY CLOSER TO $100 MILLION BECAUSE THEY ESTIMATED AS MANY AS 700,000 OHIOANS COULD BE AT RISK OF EVICTION. WHY $15 MILLION? DO YOU FOR SEYMOUR NEEDED IN THE FUTURE -- DO YOU FORESEE THAT MORE WILL BE NEEDED IN THE FUTURE? GOV. DEWINE: WE WILL CERTAINLY MONITOR AND WILL SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING. CERTAINLY OPEN. OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE TO FIND THE MONEY SOMEWHERE. BUT THIS IS CERTAINLY IMPORTANT, AND WE’RE GOING TO MONITOR IT. ABSOLUTELY. >> HI, WHIO TV IN DAYTON. THERE IS A CERTAIN STATE LAWMAKER FROM THE MIAMI VALLEY WHO PUBLICLY IS NOT JUST QUESTIONING BUT FLOATING MULTIPLE THEORIES ABOUT WHAT REALLY IS BEHIND THE DATA THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. THAT SAME LAWMAKER IS ALSO NOW ENCOURAGING PEOPLE PUBLICLY TO STOP BEING TESTED. YOUR REACTION TO THAT? AND HOW DO YOU COUNTERACT THAT FROM YOUR POSITION? GOV. DEWINE: WELL, I THINK THAT IS SHOCKING THAT ANYONE WOULD RECOMMEND TO THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS WHO MIGHT HAVE SYMPTOMS THAT THEY NOT BE TESTED. IT IS HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE, FRANKLY. IF YOU HAVE ANY INDICATION THAT YOU HAVE COVID-19, YOU KNOW, THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS TO BE TESTED. IF, IN FACT, YOU ARE, THEN TRY AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO ALERT AND THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL HELP YOU, ALERTING PEOPLE YOU MAY HAVE INFECTED SO THEY, IN TURN, CAN BE TESTED, AND IF THE TEST POSITIVE, THEY CAN HUNKER DOWN A LITTLE BIT AND NOT BE INFECTING OTHER PEOPLE. IF WE ARE GOING TO KEEP OUR BUSINESS IS OPEN, IF WE ARE GOING TO GIVE PEOPLE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY CAN GO OUT IN PUBLIC, WE GOT TO DO TWO THINGS. WE HAVE GOT TO KEEP MASKS ON, KEEP SOME DISTANCE, AND WE HAVE GOT TO TEST AND TEST AND TEST. NOW TESTING BY ITSELF DOES NOT SOLVE ALL OUR PROBLEMS. BUT IF WE TEST, WE THEN CAN ISOLATE THE VIRUS. SO I JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. BUT THAT WOULD JUST NOT BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO, TO DO THAT. LT. GOV. HUSTED: ALL OF THESE -- EVERYTHING WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO DO, IT IS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT YOU. IT IS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE. I KNOW THAT, JUST LIKE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ABOUT WEARING MASKS AND SOCIALLY DISTANCING, WE KNOW THAT STATISTICALLY THE CHANCE OF MORTALITY FOR A YOUNG LB PERSON IS VERY LOW. BUT THE REASON TO TEST OR THE REASON TO WEAR A MASK OR SOCIALLY DISTANCE IS SO THAT YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF AND CAN PROTECT YOUR TEAMMATES SO YOU CAN PLAY. BUT THEN YOU GET TO THE OTHER END OF IT, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET A TEST AND DO ALL THESE THANKS IS YOU MAY HELP SOMEBODY YOU LOVE WHO IS ELDERLY OR HAS A HEALTH CONDITION OR THAT YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH WHO CARES FOR SOMEBODY WHO HAS THOSE THINGS, THAT WE ARE THERE TO PROTECT THEM. YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE, JUST DO IT THOUGHTFULLY WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN MIND. AND IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A SYMPTOM, OH, MY GOODNESS, GET A TEST. BECAUSE YOU WOULD WANT TO KNOW. WHY WOULD WE WANT TO LIVE LIFE IN THE DARK? I WOULD WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE NOT TO HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR HEALTH STATUS SO THAT THEY COULD THEN BE EMPOWERED TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE THAT THEY CARE ABOUT? TESTING IS ONE OF THE FEW RINGS THAT WE HAVE TO CONTROL THE -- A FEW THINGS WE HAVE TO CONTROL THE SPREAD, AND IF YOU CONTROL THE SPREAD, YOU ARE BUILDING CONSUMER CONFIDENCE, PROTECTING YOUR LOVED ONES BUT DOING EVERYTHING TO HELP PROTECT THE HEALTH AND THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF OUR STATE. SO EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ONE ANOTHER, WHETHER THAT IS TESTING, WEARING A MASK, SOCIAL DISTANCING IS ABOUT THEM, NOT JUST ABOUT THEM. -- NOT JUST ABOUT YOU. IT IS ABOUT PROTECTING PEOPLE, PROTECTING THE ECONOMY. NOBODY IS MANDATING A TEST, BUT YOU OUGHT TO DO IT TO TRY AND HELP. >> THANK YOU. >> HI, GOVERNOR. I’M FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ON TUESDAY, YOU REQUIRED A MASK MANDATE IN SEVEN COUNTIES, AND TODAY YOU SAID 12 COUNTIES. SO IN ADDITION TO THE SEVEN COUNTIES LABELED RED, WILL THAT CHANGE THE MASK MANDATE? FOR HURON LOWER TO LEVEL TWO, WILL THAT CHANGE THE MASK MANDATE IN MONTGOMERY? -- IN THAT COUNTY? GOV. DEWINE: YOU KNOW -- BY THE WAY, I DO NOT SAY IT, THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME, THIS GOES INTO EFFECT TOMORROW NIGHT AT 6:00 P.M. FOR THE ADDITIONAL COUNTIES. RED COUNTIES GO FORWARD. AS WE SAW IN HURON COUNTY, WHEN THE COUNTY MOVES OUT OF RED AND DROPS DOWN, WHEN IT DROPS DOWN, THAN THE MASK ORDER GOES OFF. WE’LL PEOPLE IN HERE IN COUNTY -- HURON COUNTY, WE DO NOT WANT THEM GOING BACK TO RED, SO WE’LL PEOPLE USE IT AS QUESTIONNAIRE INFORMATION AND CONTINUE TO MASK UP. BUT WE’RE GOING TO CALL IT LIKE THE NUMBERS ARE AND INFORM PEOPLE WERE THOSE NUMBERS ARE. VERY CLOSE FOR HURON COUNTY, BUT THEY ARE SLIGHTLY UNDER. >> THANK YOU. >> DATA ON THE ANTIBODY TESTING. LT. GOV. HUSTED: THE STUDY BEGAN LAST WEEK. THEY MAILED OUT 12,000 POSTCARDS, INVITATION LETTERS. ON MONDAY THEY BEGAN TESTING THE WORKFORCE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THE RECRUITERS, INTERVIEWERS, AND NURSES WHO WILL BE CONDUCTED TESTS OR TRAINING BEGAN FOR THEM ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE TEAMS WILL BE IN THE FIELD COLLECTING SAMPLES TODAY. IT IS THE ACTUAL FIRST DAY OF THIS. THEY WILL START OUT IN CENTRAL OHIO PEER THE GOAL IS TO COLLECT 1200 SAMPLES FROM INDIVIDUAL STATE WIDE. THEY WILL DO IT AS THEY CAN. AND THIS WILL CONCLUDE, THEY HOPE, BY JULY 28 AS THEY GO THROUGH CENTRAL FIRST, SOUTHWEST, WEST CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHEAST CENTRAL, NORTHEAST, AND EAST CENTRAL, AND THEN NORTHWEST OHIO, AND THAT WILL GIVE US A SNAPSHOT OF THAT -- DURING THAT PERIOD OF WHO MAY HAVE HAD COVID, WHO HAVE ANTIBODIES IN THEIR SYSTEM, AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL GIVE US THE INFORMATION WE SEEK, AND THAT WILL HOPEFULLY ANSWER JACK’S QUESTION FROM EARLIER IN THE NEWS CONFERENCE. THANK YOU. >> HI, I’M WITH THE INQUIRER. MY QUESTION IS, HOW DO YOU GET BUY IN OR PEOPLE TO CHANGE BEHAVIORS IN PERHAPS LESS POPULOUS COUNTIES WHERE THEY SEE, COMPARATIVELY, SMALL NUMBERS, LIKE TWO ER VISITS TODAY GOING TO SEVEN A DAY AND BUTLER COUNTY, WHICH HAS 380,000 PEOPLE? GOV. DEWINE: WELL, WE ARE SEEING MORE PEOPLE WERE MASKS. IT IS ANECDOTAL. I DO NOT HAVE ANY SOLID EVIDENCE EXCEPT WHAT I AM GETTING REPORTED FROM TALKING TO DIFFERENT MAYORS AND TALKING TO DIFFERENT OFFICIALS WHO ARE OUT AND ABOUT. I THINK PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO END UP AS FLORIDA, DO NOT WANT TO END UP AS TEXAS. GOD LOVES THEM AND THEIR CITIZENS, BUT WE DO NOT WANT TO SEE THAT. WE WANT TO CEEO -- WE DO NOT WANT TO SEE OHIO ON TV LIKE THAT. WE DO NOT WANT OUR CITIZENS TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT. SO I THINK WITH THESE DO IS THEY GIVE YOU A REAL INDICATION OF IF YOU HAVE GOT A PROBLEM, IF YOU HAVE A TREND, IF YOU HAVE A SERIOUS TREND, THINGS GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. AND THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND THEM IS TO GET PEOPLE INFORMATION SO THAT THEY CAN SAY, OK, LOOK, I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN CONCERNED WHEN WE WERE AT ORANGE BUT, LOOK, THIS IS A NEW LEVEL AND INDICATORS ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY. AND SO I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO SEE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WHO WILL, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE COUNTIES WHERE THEY ARE RED, I THINK MORE PEOPLE WILL START WEARING A MASK. THE LAW IS A TEACHER. WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS WE DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE EVERYONE’S BEHAVIOR. WE KNOW THERE WILL BE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO WILL NOT DO THAT. WE UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT IF WE CAN GET 75% TO 80% OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY OUT IN PUBLIC WHO ARE INTERACTING WITH OTHER PEOPLE TO WEAR A MASK, WE WILL BEAT THIS THING DOWN. IT WILL MAKE A FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE. IT WILL CHANGE THE FALL. IT WILL CHANGE THE WINTER. IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. NOTHING -- NO SINGLE ACT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING, BUT IN COMBINATION WITH KEEPING DISTANCE, WASHING HANDS, WEARING A MASK, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THINKING TWICE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO, WHERE YOU GO, THOSE THINGS ARE ALL WITHIN THE GRASP OF ALL OF US. I GUESS I ALWAYS TRY AND TAKE THE LONG VIEW. WE ARE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS. THERE IS SUNLIGHT OUT THERE. WE’RE ARE GOING TOWARDS IT. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT. FRANKLY, WE ALL WANT TO BE THERE WHEN THIS THING IS OVER WITH, AND WE WANT OUR LOVED ONES TO BE THERE. WE WANT OUR NEIGHBORS AND OUR FRIENDS TO BE THERE. AND TO DO THAT, WE HAVE GOT TO MAKE SOME CHANGES IN OUR LIVES. WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS VIRUS. WE DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG WE WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT FOR A WHILE. THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT, I KNOW THERE ARE SOME FATALIST’S OTHER WHO SAY, WELL, EVERYBODY WILL GET IT OR X- NUMBER OF PEOPLE WILL GET IT, MIGHT AS WELL GET IT OVER WITH -- THAT IS JUST RIDICULOUS. IT IS RIDICULOUS BECAUSE LOOK HOW FAR WE HAVE COME. LOOK WHAT DOCTORS KNOW TODAY. LOOK AT THEIR ABILITY TO TREAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE VERY, VERY SICK. THEY DO NOT SAVE EVERYBODY. WE KNOW THAT. BUT THEY ARE SAVING MORE. AND IF IT IS A CHOICE OF GETTING IT TODAY OR THREE MONTHS AGO, YOU ARE BETTER OFF GETTING IT TODAY. TODAY VERSUS THREE MONTHS FROM NOW, BETTER OFF THREE MONTHS FROM NOW. SO WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. WE CAN GET THROUGH IT. IT IS ALL THINGS EACH AND EVERY -- THERE ARE ALL THINGS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US WANT TO DO WITH OUR FAMILIES, IN MY CASE MY KIDS AND GRANDKIDS, A LOT OF THINGS I WANT TO DO, SO JUST BEING CAREFUL, THINKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, NOT SPREADING IT, I JUST THINK THE MORE PEOPLE ANALYZE THIS AND THINK ABOUT IT AND THE EVIDENCE IS ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING, YOU ARE GOING TO SEE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WHO WILL COMPLY. WILL EVERYONE? CERTAINLY NOT, WE KNOW THAT. BUT 75%, 80%, WE’RE GOING TO KNOCK THIS THING IN THE HEAD PRETTY HARD. THANK YOU. >> HELLO, GOVERNOR. CONTINUING WITH THE FACE MASK ISSUE, I KNOW THAT YOU WANT EVERYBODY TO WEAR A FACE MASK WHENEVER POSSIBLE. BUT DOES THIS FACE MASK ORDER APPLY TO NONRESIDENTS OF THESE COUNTIES WHO ARE EITHER PASSING THROUGH, STOPPING AT A GAS STATION, MAYBE GOING TO DINNER IN A NEIGHBORING COUNTY? AND IS THAT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT, AT LEAST INITIALLY, YOU PREFERRED STATEWIDE ORDERS AS OPPOSED TO COUNTY NYE COUNTY ORDERS? GOV. DEWINE: IT IS A GOOD QUESTION. LOOK, YOU CAN ARGUE THIS EITHER WAY. WE HAVE KIND OF COME DOWN IN THE MIDDLE, FRANKLY. WE HAVE SOME STATE ORDERS THAT APPLY IN EVERY SINGLE COUNTY, FROM MUNRO COUNTY TO CLEVELAND, CUYAHOGA COUNTY TO HAMILTON COUNTY. AND THOSE ARE KIND OF BASELINE ORDERS. NO LARGE GATHERINGS, KEEP YOUR DISTANCE, IT’S ULTRA THOSE -- ETC. THOSE APPLY EVERYWHERE. BUT THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT, IS AN ARGUMENT, THAT THE DATA IS DIFFERENT IN DIFFERENT COUNTIES AND THAT WHAT GOES ON IN A VERY RURAL COUNTY IN OHIO AND WHAT GOES ON DOWN HERE IN THIS AREA IS DIFFERENT. AND THAT WHILE WE HAVE ORDER AT A BUSINESS, NO MATTER WHAT COUNTY YOU ARE IN, ADD A BUSINESS YOU WERE A MESS, BUT OUT IN PUBLIC, IT MADE SENSE TO IMPOSE IT FOR THOSE COUNTIES AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF RISK. LOOK, YOU KNOW AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE BUSINESS GROUP THAT WE PUT TOGETHER, HEALTH/BUSINESS, CAME BACK INITIALLY WITH RECOMMENDATIONS THAT NOT ONLY EVERYBODY IN THE WORKPLACE WHERE A MASK BUT EVERYBODY IN PUBLIC. WE PUT THAT OUT THERE AND IT WAS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF OHIO WERE NOT READY FOR THAT. SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS WE WAITED. THE SITUATION WAS MORE SERIOUS. WE NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO TARGET THOSE COUNTIES WITH DATA. WE CAN TELL WITH DATA THOSE COUNTIES MOST AT RISK. AND TO SAY, OK, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THIS FACE MASK ORDER FOR THESE COUNTIES THAT HIT RED OR PURPLE. IT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL ACCEPT. NOT EVERYBODY WILL. BUT I THINK THE MORE -- THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WILL ACCEPT IT BECAUSE IT IS BASED ON DATA, BASED ON EVIDENCE. WE’RE NOT SAYING EVERYBODY HAS TO DO IT. IN A RURAL COUNTY, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT. IN ANOTHER ONE OF OUR GREAT COUNTIES, PIKE COUNTY, MORRIS COUNTY, ETC., YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO IT. BUT IF WE ARE AT THIS LEVEL, THEN YOU NEED TO DO IT. SO IT IS KIND OF THE WAY OF GETTING AT THE PROBLEM IN A WAY I HOPE IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF THOSE COUNTIES. THEY CAN WORK THEIR WAY OUT OF THIS. NOTHING WOULD PLEASE ME MORE THAN TO LOOK AT THE MAP AND SEE NO PURPLE AND NO RED. I WOULD BE DELIGHTED. SO THAT IS WHY WE DID IT. AND AGAIN, OUR DESTINY IS IN OUR OWN HANDS AS WE MOVE FORWARD. >> ARE RESIDENTS -- NONRESIDENTS EXPECTED TO COMPLY WHEN THEY ARE IN THOSE COUNTIES? GOV. DEWINE: THEY SHOULD. THEY SHOULD. LOOK, NOT TALKING ABOUT THROWING PEOPLE IN JAIL. THIS IS A LAW THAT, YOU KNOW, I S THERE TO ADVISE PEOPLE WHAT THEY SHOULD DO. MOST PEOPLE WILL FOLLOW THE LAW. MOST OHIO CITIZENS WILL FOLLOW THE LAW. IF SOMEBODY HAPPENS TO BE IN A COUNTY THAT IS RED AND COMING OUT OF A COUNTY THAT IS NOT RED OR PURPLE, LOOK, THEY’RE GOING TO GET A BREAK. VIRTUALLY EVERYBODY IS GOING TO GET A BREAK. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE ASKED, WILL YOU JUST PUT A MASK ON? I AM SURE STORES AND RESTAURANTS WILL HAVE EXTRA MASKS AND WILL JUST SAY, HERE, PUT THAT ON. THIS WILL WORK OUT. OHIOANS CAN FIGURE THIS OUT. WE CAN WORK THIS OUT. >> THANK YOU. >> I’M WITH ABC 6 HERE IN COLUMBUS, AND I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THIS IS THE LAST QUESTION. BACK TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, WE ALREADY HAVE PEOPLE COMING YOUNG PEOPLE COME ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES WITH SPORTS RESUMING AND GETTING PRACTICES UNDERWAY. WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN OHIO STATE HAS STOPPED PRACTICES FOR SEVEN TEAMS BECAUSE OF SOME POSITIVE COVER TESTS. WE HAVE SEEN THIS WITH SPORTS AROUND THE COUNTRY AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES. IS THIS KIND OF A CANARY IN A COAL MINE OR AN INDICATOR THAT GETTING SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES BACK OPEN MAY NOT WORK? GOV. DEWINE: NO ONE SAID THIS IS GOING TO BE EASY. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY. WE HAVE CONGREGATED LIVING WITH DORMS, BUT IT IS ALSO NOT ONLY WHAT GOES ON IN THE CLASSROOM BUT OBVIOUSLY WHAT GOES ON IN YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIVES. YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE TO GET TOGETHER. WE ALL KNOW THAT. WE WILL HAVE TO SEE HOW THIS WORKS OUT, AND COLLEGES WILL HAVE TO MAKE THEIR DECISIONS. WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT THIS. I HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED WITH OUR COLLEGES IN OHIO. THEIR PREPARATION FOR THIS, WHAT THEY ARE DOING FOR THIS. THEY KNOW, QUITE CANDIDLY, THAT THEY HAVE TO SELL THIS THE PARENTS AND TO STUDENTS, THAT THEY ARE PROVIDING THE SAFEST ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE ON CAMPUS. THERE IS ALWAYS A RISK. WE KNOW THAT. BUT I THINK THERE IS ALMOST A COMPETITION AT OHIO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES -- AND OHIO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HAVE RISEN TO THE CHALLENGE, SETTING UP THEIR OWN CRITERIA. WE HAVE WORKED WITH THEM. WE HAVE WORKED VERY CLOSELY. WE ARE IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. I HAVE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. BUT IT IS NOT WITHOUT RISK. IT IS NOT WITHOUT TRAPDOORS. PITFALLS. WHATEVER WORDS YOU WANT TO USE. YEAH, WE DON’T KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING. AGAIN, THIS VIRUS, WE KNOW IT IS DANGEROUS AND NO IT SPREADS WILD. BUT WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE EXACTLY IS GOING TO BE IN THE FALL. I JUST CONCLUDE COME BEFORE I SAY GOODBYE TO ALL OF YOU UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY AT 2:00, AGAIN, WE CAN CONTROL SOME OF THIS. WE CAN CONTROL SOME OF OUR FUTURE, HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO BE IN A MONTH. THE MORE OHIOANS WILL WEAR A MASK IN PUBLIC, THE MORE OHIOANS WILL KEEP THEIR DISTANCE, THE BETTER OFF WE ARE GOING TO BE. FINALLY, PLEASE DO A TEST. IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET A TEST, GET A TEST. ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS TALKING TO GENERAL HARRIS ABOUT THIS MORNING WITH OUR OHIO NATIONAL GUARD, WE WILL LOOK AT THOSE COMMUNITIES WERE LOCAL OFFICIALS TELL US WE HAVE NOT HAD ENOUGH TESTING, HAVE NOT HAD THE AVAILABILITY OF TESTING. IT HAS NOT BEEN EASY ENOUGH. I TOLD THE GENERAL, LOOK AT SOME OF OUR MID-LEVEL COUNTIES IN SIZE AND CITIES AND SEE IF THEY WANT US TO COME IN. WE’RE GOING TO BE GUIDED BY WHAT LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY TO US. IF LOCAL OFFICIALS WANT ADDITIONAL TESTING SO THAT THEY CAN CUT THIS VIRUS OFF AT THE KNEES, WHICH IS WHAT TESTING CAN DO AND WHY YOU DO TESTING, AS WELL AS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL BEING TESTED, SO THEY CAN GET THEIR PROPER DIAGNOSIS. SO I WOULD INVITE MAYORS, ANY COUNTIES THAT WANT US TO HAVE THE GUARD COME IN FOR A DAY AND DO POP-UP TESTS THERE, WE’RE HAPPY TO DO THAT, HAPPY TO HELP. SO W