Nearly 700 New Patients Diagnosed With Coronavirus In Ohio

Social distancing, employees wearing masks and barriers are some of the things residents can expect to see as the Ohio economy begins to open back up after May 1. At his daily media briefing, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said that things will change starting May 1 but the virus will remain out there, which means life will have to be guided by that fact.

Safety measures to keep businesses open will include limiting the number of people allowed inside retail stores, checking employees' temperatures, sanitizing surfaces and staggered employee arrivals. Those who can work from home will continue to do so, DeWine said.

DeWine said every Ohio resident should have as much information as possible about their own condition so people can calculate their own risks. The governor stressed that openness is important and testing will begin to evolve.

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Since the virus can be transmitted by asymptomatic patients, DeWine said it has to be assumed that everyone is carrying the virus. Referring to the example of testing done at one Ohio prison, DeWine said 152 inmates in one prison dorm tested positive for the illness and 60 of those inmates did not have symptoms.

New Coronavirus Numbers

The number of new coronavirus cases crossed 9,000 in Ohio on Friday, an increase of nearly 700 cases from the previous day — and over 400 Ohioans have died from the illness, according to the latest numbers from the Ohio Department of Health.

The new cases include 249 probable cases of the illness under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's expanded definition. Also, 17 of the new deaths fall under the expanded CDC guidelines.

Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said the state has only tested a fraction of cases.

Cuyahoga and Franklin counties have the highest number of cases in the state. The virus is now confirmed to be present in 87 of Ohio's 88 counties.