We're living in uncertain times during the COVID-19 outbreak, but Ohio is gonna get through it together – and have some fun along the way.
We're not totally out of the woods yet, but after flattening the curve with social distancing, it's almost time for life to start returning as Ohio businesses will start reopening starting May 1, getting the economy moving again.
Saying it “must be done the right way,” Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohio will gradually and carefully get back to work as the coronavirus pandemic begins to subside, with some companies likely to reopen on May 1.
“We are about to enter a new phase ... We must get the Ohio economy moving again. We must get people back to work,” DeWine said Thursday.
He did not commit to allowing the stay-at-home order to fully expire as scheduled on May 1.
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DeWine said companies and businesses that can demonstrate they can safely reopen with virus precautions could start opening on May 1 and recall employees. He did not specify the criteria for reopening.
“I am an optimist and am confident that Ohioans will also live up to the challenge of doing things differently as we open back up beginning on May 1,” DeWine said.
It ain't going to be totally normal until a vaccine is available, and there's still a lot we've got to figure out in the meantime, but it sure is a welcomed start.
The Latest
- Ohio has 8,239 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 389 deaths.
- Midwestern governors form a COVID coalition.
- Ohio mayors say they may have to cut police and fire services.
- Ohio looks to doctors for plan to allow elective surgeries again.
Let's Laugh
Seen One, Seen Them All
If you're like most folks stuck at home, you've probably been watching quite a bit more TV than usual. That means you've also been watching a lot more commercials than usual, and have probably noticed that brands are... uncreative at best when it comes to advertising amidst this crisis.
And by "uncreative" I really mean that every commercial is pretty much a copy/paste job.
brands right now pic.twitter.com/jNE2II9I16
— Matt Buechele (@mattbooshell) April 1, 2020
The television ads are extremely bad, but the emails are worse. I don't need a message from everyone I've ever done business with hitting my inbox. I'm glad you're being cautious, Donatos, but please lose my email address.
Humans Being Human
I Pledge Allegiance
Nothing's normal these days, especially for the children that should be in school right now.
But Jennifer Stamper of Kettering is doing what she can to bring some normalcy to her children and some other neighborhood kids in a simple way – gathering for the pledge of allegiance, just like they would in school.
Now, just before 9 a.m. on school days she and her children join others on their street who come to the end of their driveways -- no closer because of social-distancing guidelines -- and together, hands over hearts, recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
That’s how 9-year-old son Zach and 7-year-old daughter Juliette would start the day if they were in the classroom, but schools were ordered closed March 12 to try to stop the spread of COVID-19. Now the siblings take turns holding the flag at the end of the driveway.
The kids usually are out on the porch at 8:45, to see who’s joining them that day. Most days there are at least a couple dozen people.
“My kids, when this first started, they were having trouble sleeping at night,” said Stamper, 49. “The whole purpose of this fleeting thought of mine was let’s just have something that we do every morning at 9 o’clock that’ll be normal. And it wasn’t in any way going to be a platform, nothing political, nothing else. It was just, we love our kids and we want them to have some sense of normal.”
That's undeniably awesome, but the biggest win here is getting all those kids out of bed before 9 o'clock when they don't have to.
Take Me Home
Let's be real, highlights from defensive players are significantly less sexy than offensive playmakers. But that's not going to stop us from appreciating one of the best Buckeyes to ever do it.
