State health officials say the fourth confirmed case of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, had no contact with other cases and didn't travel overseas. This signals the start of community spread in Ohio, leading Gov. Mike DeWine to issue more public health orders.
DeWine says the orders are in hopes of slowing the spread of coronavirus to give the health care system more time to deal with sick people as they come in.
"Look I understand how hard this is because we see no changes out there. But the world has changed for Ohioans," says DeWine.
Nursing homes are ordered to only allow one visitor per resident per day and staff must take the temperature of anyone who enters the facility.
DeWine says he understands how important visits can be for nursing home residents.
"That socialization is important. So we're trying to balance this but we also know that this is a particularly vulnerable population and we have to take rather dramatic steps to do all we can to protect them," says DeWine.
He says his office is crafting a public health order to bar spectators at large sporting events, such as NHL and NBA games.
The NCAA decided, after DeWine's announcement, that it would only allow family members at the March Madness Tournament games. This is a national decision, but also affects the games set in Dayton and Cleveland.
"There is a new, big, huge risk in Ohio. You never that it was coming, I never thought it was coming, but it is here. And you better calculate that risk just like you calculate everything else you do in your life," DeWine says, noting that each Ohioan needs to assess their own situation when deciding if they want to travel or meet with large groups.
