DeWine expected to expand on stay-home order today

COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine is expected today to announce further orders restricting Ohioans' contact to curtail the spread of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19.

The state's previous stay-at-home order closed all but those businesses deemed "essential" — such as grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies — and restricted in-person gatherings. Following President Donald Trump's extension of federal social distancing and hygiene guidelines through April 30, DeWine began signaling an extension of that state order.

During a Wednesday briefing on the state's coronavirus response, DeWine waved off further questions from reporters on the legality of religious gatherings or whether Ohio would restrict the number of customers inside those "essential" retailers at once — as seen in other states — suggesting today's new orders could answer those questions.

DeWine also announced the state health department has divided the state's healthcare providers into three distinct regions — the Mahoning Valley is in a southern Ohio region including Cincinnati and Dayton — in order to urge those providers to better coordinate treatment and share medical supplies with other providers outside their communities as the virus surges in the state.

Coronavirus cases are expected to peak between late April and mid-May, with anticipation of up to 10,000 new cases per day, officials have said.

"What we're seeing in New York is what we work every single day to avoid here in the state of Ohio," DeWine said Wednesday.

DeWine also announced Ohioans would be able to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP, to order groceries online and pick them up outside the store. Groceries stores may use mobile point of sale devices, or allow SNAP recipients to swipe their card inside the store, he said.

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton on Wednesday signed an order requiring hospitals who don't conduct in-house testing for the new coronavirus to send their samples to other hospitals that do.

DeWine said patients whose tests are being sent to private labs have been made to wait as long as six days for results.

"It's unacceptable for the patient. It's unacceptable for the rest of us," he said.

DeWine said Ohio State University, The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth in Cleveland all have available testing capacity that isn't being fully met each day.

DeWine said the state has formed a public-private manufacturing coalition for Ohio manufacturers to contribute to the creation of new medical equipment and protective gear that are facing extreme demand due to the virus. Manufacturers can visit the coalition's website at repurposingproject.com to learn how they can contribute.

"If you are a manufacturer, we need your help. We need your help right now," DeWine said.

DeWine also issued an executive order pleading with Ohio lenders and landlords to suspend payments from small businesses for at least 90 days, to provide some relief to small businesses that aren't generating revenue due to virus-related closures.

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the measure will delay foreclosures, which can have a chain reaction on the economy and the services those businesses could provide.

"Everybody's going to have to pay. You're going to have to pay eventually, but we are requesting some remedies," he said. "It allows businesses the cash flow they need to keep people employed and the ability to restart."

The federal government has delayed foreclosures on residential mortgages, providing a 12-month forbearance period. Ohio courts may now also suspend eviction proceedings for tenants who are unable to pay.

Here were other developments Wednesday around the state and nation:

• According to the latest figures today from the Ohio Department of Health, the state is reporting 2,547 cases of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, including 177 cases in Mahoning County; 58 in Trumbull; and 19 in Columbiana. Statewide, there have been 65 deaths, including 10 in Mahoning County; 3 in Trumbull; and 2 in Columbiana. Mahoning County's number of cases and deaths per capita remain the highest among all Ohio's 88 counties.

• Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and his COVID-19 Task Force have established a text message service. To opt in to this service, text YCOVID19 to 888777.

• The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, the Raymond John Wean Foundation and the Youngstown Foundation have created a COVID-19 relief grant application to make it easier for nonprofits to seek funding from those foundations to address the virus' impacts. The form can be found on any of the foundation's websites, linked above. To donate to Community Foundation's emergency response fund, go here. To donate to Youngstown Foundation's crisis assistance fund, go here.

• The Mahoning County Green Team announced curbside recycling will be suspended, beginning April 6. Drop-off recycling will remain available and will be escalated to account for increased need. If those drop-off sites are filled, recyclers are asked to return later, rather than leave items outside the containers. To find the site closest to you, visit greenteam.cc.

• Lowellville Local Schools is continuing its free meal service for district students from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m today. The drive-thru line queues behind the school building, 52 Rocket Place, near the cafeteria. Meals are offered on Mondays and Thursdays.

• Washington Prime Group, owner of Southern Park Mall in Boardman, announced the mall now has established a Salvation Army donation site where nonperishable food, bottled water, toiletries and other items can be donated daily from noon to 5 p.m. in a bin outside the food court. Free "to-go" meals will be offered to first responders and healthcare providers from noon to 1 p.m. today at a drive-thru in the parking lot near the food court entrance. The Art Cafe, a mall tenant, is also donating 60 pottery kits to two area nursing homes.

• For the first time in 15 years, Mahoning County Children Services won't be planting a pinwheel garden display to mark April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. The agency said child protective services are relying on community members "more than ever" to identify and report suspicions of child abuse. "Families and caregivers are experiencing unprecedented isolation, feelings of being overwhelmed as well as increased anxiety, fear and frustrations. ... And with kids out of school and home all day, along with all the other factors, [children are placed] at greater risk for child abuse and neglect," reads a Wednesday release.

• Ohioans are receiving spam calls claiming to be from the the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and requesting personal information, such as Social Security numbers. If you get such a call, consider it a scam, officials say. Relatedly, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Wednesday offered tips to protect against scammers scheming to get their hands on Ohioans' COVID-19 stimulus payments.

• U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, was one of 55 Congress members who urged President Donald Trump Tuesday to use military assets and organization to help with COVID-19 testing and other medical services. Ryan along with U.S. sens. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland, D-Ohio, and Rob Portman of Cincinnati, R-Ohio, and Ohio House members also urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve the state's Disaster Household Distribution Program, which would allow food banks to distribute more food directly to Ohio families.

• The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced $8.4 million is coming to Ohio public safety agencies to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The total $850 million in the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding was part of recent stimulus legislation signed by President Donald Trump.

• According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday, there are 5,805 COVID-19 cases in the state which have led to 74 deaths. There are 13 cases in Lawrence County with 2 deaths; 8 cases in Mercer County with no known deaths.

• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday placed all of Pennsylvania under an order to stay at home. Now, residents in all 67 of Pennsylvania's counties must stay home as much as possible to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 4:52 AM with the headline "DeWine expected to expand on stay-home order today."