Details of the Restart Plan will be available now at coronavirus.ohio.gov/responsiblerestartohio.

Governor DeWine just finished his press conference on Monday. He started by complimenting Ohioans on all of their efforts, which have resulted in decreases in the five-day trend lines for reported cases, deaths, and hospitalizations.

He discussed the anticipated increase in testing capacity, from 7,000 test per day today to double that next week, to reach more than 22,000 tests daily by May 27. He also presented a plan to ramp up a contract tracing workforce. We have 685 trained public health workers and 900 volunteers currently in Ohio, and the plan is to ramp that up to 1,750 workers by June 1. It will take additional funding to accomplish this, and the State will distributed that funding to the 113 public health departments into the state.

The Restart Plan has the following dates:

• May 1 – all non-essential Health Procedures that can be done that do not require an overnight stay, including dentists and veterinarians will be allowed.
• May 4 – Manufacturing, Distribution, and Construction will be allowed to open up. All essential businesses in these categories will have to comply with the details in the new order, including requiring face coverings for employees and clients/customers.
• May 12 – Consumer Retail and Services will be allowed to open up.
• Additional businesses, such as personal health care and beauty (gyms, hair and nail salons), will be considered for the future.

The Restart Plan has the following five Protocols for all Businesses:

• 1. Require face coverings for employees and clients/customers at all times.
• 2. Conduct daily health assessments by employers and employees (self-evaluation) to determine if “fit for duty.”
• 3. Maintain good hygiene at all times – hand washing and social distancing.
• 4. Clean and sanitize workplaces throughout workday and at close of business or between shifts.
• 5. Limit capacity to meet social distancing guidelines. Establish maximum capacity at 50 percent of fire code. And, use appointment setting when possible to limit congestion.

In addition, there are detailed mandatory and recommended protocols and guidelines that will be made available as well.