By Erik L. Walter:
As everyone in Ohio knows, on Sunday, March 22, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health, issued an Order directing that all Ohio residents stay home unless he or she was deemed to be an essential employee or engaged in an “essential activity.” This Order went into effect at 11:59 p.m. on March 23, 2020, and was to remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on April 6, 2020, unless a new mandate was put into effect. As everyone knows, on April 2, 2020, Governor DeWine and Dr. Acton signed the Amended Director’s Stay at Home Order which extended the duration of the March 22, 2020, Order through 11:59 p.m. May 1, 2020. While much of the Order remains the same, there are some changes which include:
• The creation of a dispute resolution process/procedure in situations where two local health departments have reached differing conclusions on what is or is not an “essential business;”
• The establishment of a requirement for “essential businesses” to determine and enforce a “maximum number of customers” criteria establishing how many people are allowed to be in a store at one time. In this regard, these businesses must ensure that people who are waiting to enter the store(s) maintain safe social distancing;
• A mandate that travelers arriving in Ohio need to “self-quarantine” for 14 days. Exceptions to this mandate include: (a) persons who live and work in “trans-border areas,” (b) heath care workers, (c) public health workers, (d) public safety workers, (e) transportation workers and (f) designated “essential workers.” Further, visitors are instructed not to travel to Ohio if they are displaying symptoms—excepting, in certain circumstances, those seeking medical care;
• Wedding receptions are allowed but must be limited to no more than 10 people;
• A clarification regarding the closing of campgrounds with the exception of those where a camper or recreational vehicle at a campground serves as a citizen’s “permanent residence” and that citizen is unable to secure safe, alternative housing;
• The requirement that public swimming pools and swimming pools at private clubs or housing complexes close to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. However, this does not apply to an individual’s private residential pool;
• The clarification that retail garden centers can remain open but the garden center must determine and enforce a reduced capacity to keep customers and employees safe;
• The closure of day camps (summer camps) for children until further notice;
• The prohibition of organized youth and adult sports until further notice; and
• A clarification that fishing is permitted so long as proper “social distancing” is practiced.
The full text of the April 2, 2020 Order may be found at:
https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHOOD/2020/04/02/file_attachments/1418062/Signed%20Amended%20Director%27s%20Stay%20At%20Home%20Order.pdf
Again, with all of this noted, the key is to be informed. Accordingly, if you have any questions about the original order, this amendment or its legal ramifications, please contact Dworken & Bernstein at 440-352-3391 or visit our website at www.dworkenlaw.com.
