Randy Ludlow

The Columbus Dispatch

Saying it “must be done the right way,” Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohio will carefully get back to work as the coronavirus pandemic begins to subside, with some companies likely to reopen on May 1.

“We are about to enter a new phase ... We must get the Ohio economy moving again. We must get people back to work,” DeWine said Thursday.

He did not commit to allowing the stay-at-home order to fully expire as scheduled on May 1.

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“I fully understand it. I get it. People are paying consequences, people are losing their jobs,” the governor said of the 855,000 Ohioans who have lost their jobs during the past four weeks following forced closures of nonessential businesses.

But, DeWine said, “We don’t want to get back and then have a disaster, a huge spike in the number of people who have tested positive and in the hospital. That would be disastrous.”

The governor declined to answer if state approval will be required for business reopenings or when schools -- also closed through May 1 -- will reopen. “We’re working on this. We’ll deal with the schools shortly,” he said.

“We have an obligation ... to keep our employees safe and for businesses to keep their customers safe,” the Republican said while noting daily case increases have settled into a fairly narrow range. He credited Ohioans’ enforced isolation with flattening the curve of cases.

DeWine said companies and businesses that can demonstrate they can safely reopen with virus precautions could start opening on May 1 and recall employees.

“I am an optimist and am confident that Ohioans will also live up to the challenge of doing things differently as we open back up beginning on May 1,” DeWine said.

DeWine made the announcement less than an hour before he and other governors were scheduled to speak with President Donald Trump about federal reopening guidance.

“We’re in a two-front war,” DeWine said of the virus and the economy. “We’ve got to stay safe,” he said, adding state officials will continue to fight to save lives from the virus.

The governor said he will continue to follow the facts and the coronavirus case numbers in gradually reopening the state. “As we reopen up, we are going to be very, very careful.”

State health director Dr. Amy Acton said, “We’re fighting hard every day for your well-being, your health, your lives and your livelihood, as well.”

DeWine previously said the reopening of the state must be accompanied by measures such as the ongoing wearing of masks and businesses implementing plans to protect employees and customers from the virus.

He and Acton do not envision a full return to normalcy until a coronavirus vaccine is developed -- which could take more than a year -- to infer immunity and kill the “monster.”

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases increased for the second straight day in Ohio on Thursday, although below levels seen in recent weeks

The state reported 611 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday -- an 8% increase from the 475 recorded the prior day -- to boost the overall caseload to 8,239

Another 27 confirmed deaths also were disclosed, increasing the pandemic’s fatality toll to 373.

State officials have described a general plateau in new cases as “good news,” but caution a long fight awaits to beat down the virus, which causes COVID-19, a potentially deadly infectious respiratory disease.

Increased testing has confirmed a spiral of coronavirus cases among state prison inmates, with the statewide number increasing by 80% on Thursday to 273, with 159 prison employees also infected.

Pickaway Correctional Institution, south of Columbus, has seen the worst outbreak, with its ill-inmate count jumping by 58 to 132 on Thursday and a second and third prisoner dying from suspected COVID-19.

The county reported a fourth death on Thursday, but its origin remained unknown. It disclosed 24 more virus cases, with many perhaps linked to the prison.

Thirty-nine Pickaway prison employees also have contracted the virus, leading DeWine to dispatch Ohio National Guard medics to replace health-care workers fallen by coronavirus.

Most of the prison-system cases among workers (87) and the lone employee fatality stem from the Marion Correctional Institution, where 92 inmates have tested positive.

DeWine announced Thursday that hundreds of non-violent offenders within 90 days of their scheduled release likely will be freed early in coming weeks to help lessen overcrowding among the 48,000-plus inmates.

Election protections sought

Critics portray the release as a token effort in fighting coronavirus. In a tweet, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio wrote: “We need to release MORE than a couple hundred people in order to stop the spread of this deadly virus for Ohioans behind bars.”

The broad-based Ohio Voter Rights Coalition wrote legislative leaders and Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Thursday to seek pandemic precautions for the Aug. 4 special election and Nov. 3 general election.

“Voters and poll workers should not ever have to choose between participating in democracy and risking their health and safety,” the group wrote.

Every registered voter should receive a postage-paid absentee ballot to return in the mail without having to request a ballot, the coalition said. And, multiple early voting centers should be opened in each county, while employing social distancing, for those who want to vote in person, it said.

Ohio’s primary election, scheduled for March 17 but postponed due to the pandemic, now is a mail-ballot-only affair with an April 28 deadline to return votes.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow