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Your Morning Matters: Ladies and gentlemen: Start your shopping

By Mark Sweetwood

Good morning and welcome to Your Morning Matters.

It's Tuesday, May 12, 2020, and today is opening day for many retailers, and I expect there will be hits and misses as everyone works to adjust to the latest newest normal.

On a business task Monday, I was surprised to enter an establishment that had good social distancing lines on the floor to keep customers properly spaced BUT none of the employees I saw wore masks.

As of May 4, workers are expected to be masked. There are certain exceptions:

  • Not advised by a health care professional;
  • Not aligned with industry best practices;
  • Not permitted by federal or state laws and regulations.

I thought it was strange that all employees working at this particular counter simultaneously met an exception. Another customer, however, who was in there before May 4, saw the exact same situation. So I didn't raise a stink. I did my business, used lots of Clorox wipes and then emailed the Mahoning County Public Health department. You can find them here. I'll share what I learn.

I fear the local health departments are not staffed for what we're going to see starting today: The state wrote the guidance but left it up to the local departments to enforce. So I think we need to have equal measures of patience and resolve. Don't attack workers. Don't put the health department on speed dial. Don't raise your voice. Protect yourself and take measured responses.

And whatever happens, let's be careful out there.

Here are more of the things you need to know about what's happening in the Mahoning Valley:

Mahoning Valley child care providers who are able to continue operating during the COVID-19 pandemic said they're facing a whole new set of challenges. Other providers looking to reopen under new yet-to-be-announced state guidelines should start preparing now, they said.

Mahoning Matters talked to Valley providers to find out what they've experienced.

PANDEMIC FACTS

  • In the U.S.: 1,363,187 confirmed cases; 81,447 deaths, according to infection2020.com at 10 p.m. May 11.
  • In Ohio: 23,400 confirmed cases; 1,236 deaths.
  • In Pennsylvania: 57,154 confirmed cases; 3,731 deaths.
  • In the Mahoning Valley: 1,141 confirmed cases in Mahoning County; 408 in Trumbull County; and 336 in Columbiana County.
  • Dow Jones Industrial Average: Closed at 24,221.99, down 109.33 points, or 0.45 percent.

Other matters

Western Reserve Transit Authority will resume its fixed-route bus service Monday. WRTA had suspended the service April 6 and offered only countywide scheduled service using its smaller buses. Mahoning Matters

Mercy Health is receiving $25.4 million in funding from the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital is receiving $13,084,972, and St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital is receiving $12,390,297. Mahoning Matters

City officials have gambled millions of dollars and demolished a neighborhood for the Chill-Can plant. Not one job has been created yet, according to a Business Journal/ProPublica investigation.

Mercer County's district attorney has decided to withdraw citations against a Hermitage, Pa., gym owner who reopened his gym against Gov. Tom Wolf's stay-at-home orders. WKBN

As Ohio begins to reopen, wearing a mask will become the new norm, and a Mercy Health official says it's vital to properly wear a mask while out to make sure you and everyone around you stays healthy. WFMJ

Since beginning production of hand sanitizer, Candella Micro-Distillery has sold more than 10,000 gallons locally and throughout the country. The Business Journal

A Niles man has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Girard, its police chief and a police officer, accusing them of harassment, defamation and unlawful dismissal from his job at a bank. The Vindicator

Difference Makers

More than 250 boxes of goods were handed off to those in need Sunday at the Quaker Steak & Lube in Austintown. Dick Frost and the Chicken Coupe Cruisers have coordinated regular cruise-ins and charity drives for almost 14 years. With the COVID-19 pandemic delivering grim headlines, Frost said he started wondering what he could do for families. Mahoning Matters

This story was made possible by Eastwood Mall.

In case you missed it

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fitz Frames has shifted its focus from making kids glasses to manufacturing protective eyewear for frontline medical workers at its manufacturing facility at the Youngstown Business Incubator. Mahoning Matters

This story was made possible by Farmers National Bank.

Your comments matter

"I hope we all continue to make good decisions."

— Barb Mickler Zabloski, on businesses starting to reopen in Ohio.

Registered readers can comment on a selection of our stories, and all readers can comment on stories on our Facebook page. Opinions published here do not reflect the views of Mahoning Matters.

Event of the day

Are you tired of just sitting around? The Jewish Community Center of Youngstown's School of Dance program is offering a free virtual dance lesson from 4 to 4:30 p.m. today. For more dates, a list of classes offered and to register to receive a YouTube livestream access code, click here.

To see what else is going on around the Mahoning Valley, check out Mahoning Matters' event calendar here, or click the Events tab on the top menu at mahoningmatters.com.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 6:55 AM with the headline "Your Morning Matters: Ladies and gentlemen: Start your shopping."