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By Brett Milam
Editor
As Ohio begins to slowly “reopen” the economy, mask-wearing, warm weather, and busines operations are at the forefront of discussions amid coronavirus.
While mask-wearing is not mandatory in the state or county, it is “strongly encouraged,” Julianne Nesbit, Clermont County Public Health Commissioner, said.
Mike DeWine, Ohio governor, initially mandated mask-wearing for retail customers, but rescinded that, noting on Twitter last week that it was “offensive to some of our fellow Ohioans.” Nonetheless, it was still recommended.
Nesbit said as much to The Sun, adding that customers are “strongly encouraged to wear a mask while visiting businesses where social distancing may be difficult.”
“This is done to protect employees from customer respiratory droplets,” she said. “We know people can spread COVID-19 for [one-to-three] days prior to getting symptoms. So, just because you don’t feel sick doesn’t mean you can’t be contagious. Some people are carriers of the virus, meaning they can be contagious, but not show any symptoms.”
In other words, masks are more about protecting other people than protecting yourself, Nesbit said.
Employees should also wear masks, and that’s something encouraged also by the Responsible Restart Ohio plan, which a protocol put in place, as Ohio shifts from a “stay-at-home” order to a “stay safe Ohio” footing.
The phased approach began on May 1, where all medically necessary procedures (but that don’t require an overnight stay) were allowed to move ahead. That includes regular doctor visits, well-care checks, well-baby visits, out-patient surgeries, imaging procedures, and diagnostic tests. Similarly, dental services and veterinary services will also move ahead, if a save environment is able to be set-up.
Beginning this week, on May 4, general office environments are allowed to reopen, if these businesses can meet mandatory safety requirements for customers and employees. On May 12, the same requirement holds true for consumer, retail and other services that will be allowed to reopen.
Large gatherings of more than 10 people are still prohibited.
“Employees wear masks to protect customers and other co-workers from their respiratory droplets,” Nesbit said.
At his daily presser on May 4, Governor Mike DeWine said “wearing a face covering is the right thing to do.”
“As warm weather approaches, the inclination is to go out and do things – there is nothing wrong with that but we need to remember that what we do impacts others,” he said. “There are legitimate reasons why some may not be able to wear one in a store, but the fact remains that when you do – you’re saying that you care about other people. We’re going to continue to do everything we can to get that message across.”
With warmer weather and people getting outside to jog and walk the dog, Nesbit said masks are not necessary in those situations, so long as people are properly social distancing.
32 cease and desist orders
With businesses coming back online in a phased approach, Nesbit said since the original stay-at-home order went into effect on March 23 and was extended through May 1, CCPH has issued 32 cease and desist orders on various businesses.
Those businesses include a fitness center, two salons, two pet grooming stations inside of pet stores, and five car washes.
“Though car washes were deemed essential, the cease and desist orders pertain only to the self-service portions of the car washes where customers would be handling the same equipment, like vacuums,” Nesbit explained.
The vast majority of the cease and desist orders, 22, were of tobacco and vape shops.
If a business is opening back up, and an employee is afraid to come back to work, Nesbit said the first step that an employee should take is to talk to their employer about their concerns and see what can be worked out.
“Employers should also communicate their plans to protect their employees,” she said. “If an employee still feels that their employer is violating the Stay Safe Ohio Order, they can file a complaint online at ccphohio.org.”
She added, “We are using a similar process to what we used during the Stay at Home Order. We have an online complaint form where people can submit their complaints, and we will investigate it.”
The unknowns of the virus
Given that the coronavirus is a new virus, nearly two months into this protective posture, there are still some unknowns. Speaking of warm weather, Nesbit said they still don’t know what impact warm weather will have on the virus.
“People have a tendency to socialize more outdoors during warm weather. Currently, gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited, and people should still physically distance between different households as required by the current order,” she said. “In some instances, the warmer weather may allow for more opportunities to do activities while still practicing proper social distancing.”
It’s also still difficult to say just how contagious COVID-19 is or how it compares to the seasonal flu given the testing capacity issues in the State and across the United States. More testing would help to determine the prevalence of the disease, Nesbit said.
An unprecedented event
Looking ahead with regards to pandemic planning and protocols, Nesbit said because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease similar to the flu, the plans for pandemic influenza planning have been used extensively in the response and will continue to be used once a vaccine is developed.
“Plans are not so much about the written plan as the partnerships that are developed in making the plans that come into play during any scenario,” she said. “I don’t know that we have ever had a response that looks exactly like a plan. We take the plans and adapt to the situation.”
She added, “We are fortunate in Clermont County that we have a great working relationship with our county Emergency Management Agency. They also have emergency plans in place and the experience they have in other emergency or disaster situations.”
Nesbit stressed that it’s important to remember this is an “unprecedented global pandemic, that none of us have ever been in before.”
“As we have seen the efforts to minimize or slow the spread of the virus requires changes to all of our lifestyles. These changes will be with us for a while,” she said. “We all will have to take more personal responsibility to do our part to protect not only ourselves, but other people, especially people that are more vulnerable to becoming sick.
To learn more about the new Stay Safe Ohio Order FAQ, and complaint page, please visit ccphohio.org/responsible-restart-ohio-faq.
For the latest data and information from CCPH, visit ccphohio.org/covid-19.
Sun Reporter Megan Alley contributed to this report.
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