Governor DeWine Press Conference Summary for Thursday, May 7

Below are the updates from yesterday’s press conference with Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted, and Dr. Acton. There are no press conferences currently scheduled for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. The normal press conference schedule will resume Monday.  

Here’s the news from Thursday: 

• Ohio’s COVID-19 case data is below:
• 21,132 confirmed cases
• 999 probable cases  
• 21,131 total cases
• 4,140 hospitalizations
• 1,153 confirmed deaths
• 118 probable deaths
• 1,271 total deaths
• 1,167 ICU admissions
• More data is available on the COVID-19 Dashboard HERE. 

• Governor DeWine announced when restaurants and bars in Ohio will be permitted to reopen. Outdoor dining may resume May 15^th and dine-in services may resume May 21^st.  Attached are detailed lists of guidelines and best practices as well as statements of support from the Ohio Restaurant Association and the National Federation of Independent Business - Ohio Chapter.  

• Governor DeWine also announced that personal services such as hair salons, barbershops, day spas, nail salons, and tanning facilities may reopen on May 15^th. Attached is a list of mandatory and recommended best practices for personal services. 

• For the week ending May 2, 2020, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) reported 61,083 initial jobless claims to the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The number of initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last seven weeks (1,118,569) is 1,112 more than the combined total of 1,117,457 for the last three years. Over these last seven weeks, ODJFS has distributed more than $1.9 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 536,000 Ohioans. Pursuant to an order from the U.S.  Department of Labor order, Ohio will release unemployment numbers on a weekly basis as soon as the national report is released on Thursday. 

• Attached are the following documents: CARES Act Forbearance Fact Sheet for Mortgagees and Servicers of FHA, VA, or USDA Loans and FAQs for high-risk populations. 

• 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.