DeWine to protesters: ‘Freedom’ and ‘safety’ not mutually exclusive

COLUMBUS — Protests raged in dozens of cities throughout the country over the weekend and continued Monday outside the Ohio Statehouse during Gov. Mike DeWine's daily coronavirus briefing — which was moved to the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

In response to protesters chanting "freedom over safety," DeWine said the two aren't mutually exclusive.

DeWine said he spoke with small business owners, who asked him not to reopen too early, because having to close again would be devastating. He intends to slowly reopen businesses without overwhelming the healthcare system.

"I feel for everybody who is going through that," said DeWine.

But not all protesters are small business owners decrying their inability to pay rent. On Saturday at the Ohio Statehouse, some protesters gained attention on Twitter for anti-Semitic signs, Cleveland.com reported.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted called out the hate on Twitter, saying, "This is shameful. There are more things than Coronavirus that we need to cure."

Despite the presence of such messaging among some protesters, during his briefing Monday, DeWine said, "I have full respect for the protesters. The only thing I would ask them to do is be safe."

Missing data, new data

The long-awaited nursing home data from the Ohio Department of Health only lasted a day before being removed, but Gov. Mike DeWine said a corrected list of long-term care facilities with COVID-19 cases will be posted by Wednesday.

The list, which was posted April 15, was taken down from the Ohio Department of Health website, due to issues with the data.

The list included 58 COVID-19 cases at 10 Mahoning County nursing homes and 15 cases at three Trumbull County facilities. The list did not feature any facilities in Columbiana County, although the county reported that 15 cases and 3 deaths were people at long-term care facilities.

John Saulitis, director of the ombudsmen program at Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, said ombudsmen are aware of cases that weren't included on the list. Mahoning Matters has also received tips suggesting the data is not complete.

"I know we've seen some pretty startling stories," said Ohio Health Director Amy Acton. "There are some bad actors out there."

In an effort to balance privacy concerns with transparency, the new list will feature a breakdown of new cases, cumulative cases and cases by resident and staff members, DeWine said during Monday's coronavirus briefing.

The website will also publish aggregate death data in long-term care facilities by county. ODH will also publish the number of healthcare workers who tested positive for the coronavirus at each Ohio hospital.

Remote schooling

To continue mitigating the spread of COVID-19, Ohio students will continue remote schooling through the remainder of the academic year, DeWine announced Monday.

Students have been learning at home since March 17.

"We have flattened the curve, but it remains dangerous. The situation is fluid. We now have eight or nine days of fairly straight line in terms of hospitalizations," said DeWine.

DeWine has not decided what will happen in the fall. In making this call, DeWine has the well being of four groups in mind: children with special developmental needs, children with health challenges, children with limited internet access and children who do not have a supportive home environment.

A "blended" system that combines distance and in-person learning is a possibility, DeWine said. But, each district will be different. School districts will be given flexibility in making these decisions.

"We are simply not in a position yet to make that decision," said DeWine. "I am happy to say though that schools are already preparing. They're thinking about how they would handle the situation if they were back in school, how they would try to do what they could in terms of social distancing."

Prison outbreak

Over the weekend, increased testing at the Marion Correctional Facility resulted in massive daily case number jumps in the state. Between Friday and Monday, coronavirus cases in Ohio increased by nearly 50 percent.

According to a release from the Ohio Department of Corrections Sunday, more than 70 percent of the people imprisoned at Marion — 1,828 of 2,500 — have tested positive for the virus.

"The reason you're seeing the numbers spike is because we're massively testing now," said DeWine.

As of Monday, 2,073 people tested positive for the virus in Marion County. Despite the massive spike in cases, the state dashboard has only recorded one death — a prison employee — for the county.

DeWine sent the National Guard to the prison, which is creating more space at the facility and supporting the prison infirmary.

DeWine is also facilitating the release of about 100 Ohio prisoners. He said he will continue to request early release on a rolling basis as release dates become closer.

"We do not intend to have a wholesale — just everybody in a certain category comes out," said DeWine. "What we're doing is trying to do this very thoughtfully."

Other coronavirus news

• According to the latest figures Monday from the Ohio Department of Health, the state is reporting 12,516 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. There have been 604 confirmed cases in Mahoning County; 249 in Trumbull County; and 182 in Columbiana County.

• Statewide, there have been 491 confirmed deaths, including 50 in Mahoning County; 20 in Trumbull; and 14 in Columbiana. Mahoning County's 50 reported COVID-19 deaths on Friday was the second-highest among all Ohio's 88 counties; Cuyahoga County reported 55 deaths.

• According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday, there are 33,232 COVID-19 cases in the state which have led to 1,204 deaths. There are 59 cases in Lawrence County with 5 deaths; 59 cases in Mercer County with 1 death.

• The Youngstown City Health Department reported Monday that the city has 104 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 37 hospitalizations and 6 deaths.

• Youngstown State University is planning a Virtual Commencement Ceremony on May 9 at 10 a.m., graduating seniors were told Sunday. Students were told they would receive more details soon.

• Youngstown City School District employees at the central kitchen work a 10-hour-a-day, four or five days a week during the pandemic. Each Monday, 15,000 packed lunches and 300 cases of milk are shipped to distribution sites throughout the city.

• Wilson Elementary School students aren’t far from their teachers’ thoughts during the stay-at-home order. So, Wilson teachers, staff and administrators plan a parade – from the safety of their vehicles – on Tuesday beginning at noon.

This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 3:52 AM with the headline "DeWine to protesters: ‘Freedom’ and ‘safety’ not mutually exclusive."