In light of the Thanksgiving holiday, we will not be publishing a regular bulletin this week.

Even in the midst of these incredibly difficult times, there is much to be thankful for. The League is grateful for our members and for the tremendous leadership demonstrated by Ohio’s municipal officials over the course of this year. We wish all our members and their families a safe and happy Thanksgiving!



OHIO CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE UPDATE

·        Ohio is reporting 371,908 cases of the coronavirus, 25,069 hospitalizations, 6,118 deaths and 4,483 ICU admissions.

·        New data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) shows that 98 more deaths were reported on Tuesday in the previous 24 hours, which is the second-highest number of deaths reported in a single day in Ohio since the start of the pandemic. A total of 364 new hospitalizations were reported in the previous 24 hours, and approximately 8,604 additional positive COVID-19 cases were recorded. Total hospitalizations are also continuing to trend upwards. The current surge in cases is believed to be linked to people gathering on and around Halloween. 

·        Ohio's positivity rate, which is the daily percentage of positive tests reported to ODH, has reached 14% - just one percentage point shy of Ohio's travel advisory warning level of 15 percent. Each Wednesday, ODH releases a travel advisory for Ohio citizens planning to travel to other states which advises against travel to states with a positivity rate of 15 percent or more. In addition to Ohio's travel advisory, the updated Ohio Public Advisory System map will also be published on Wednesday at coronavirus.ohio.gov. 

·        Lt. Governor Husted announced that less than half of the eligible permit holders have submitted an application for the Bar and Restaurant Assistance Fund. Roughly 30 different permit types, including bars, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, wineries, casinos, and private clubs may be eligible. Ohioans can find a list of eligible permits, along with the application, at BusinessHelp.Ohio.gov.

·        At the urging of Governor DeWine, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) board voted unanimously to approve issuing $5 billion in dividends to Ohio’s employers in mid-December to ease the financial pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This is nearly four times the dividend BWC issued in October, bringing total dividends this year to nearly $8 billion. Employers should expect to see their checks in the mail in mid-December.

·        In September, a new initiative was announced in collaboration with JobsOhio called “Ohio to Work,” to help Ohioans who are looking for a job during the pandemic. The program is currently being piloted in the Greater Cleveland area, and October’s first Virtual Career Fair had more than 30 employers with over 1,000 open jobs. More than 700 job seekers attended. The next Virtual Career Fair is Thursday, December 10. To register, visit OhiotoWork.com.

·        Today, 7 counties representing over 5 million Ohioans publicly issued their support for Stay-at-Home Health Advisories and highlighted the risks associated with large holiday gatherings. We commend these counties for doing their part to help protect Ohioans against the spread of COVID-19. Please see the attached press release HERE.