Coronavirus

The state’s tax revenue report for July was the first one showing gains in three months. But Ohio’s chief budget officer says she expects the economic effects of the pandemic to last for far longer than the pandemic does – perhaps years.

After three months of declines, Ohio took in 8% more in taxes than the Office of Budget and Management estimated, though much of that is connected to the delay of the tax deadline to July 15. But there was a different kind of growth in the state’s July report that could be concerning.

There have been over a thousand new confirmed coronavirus cases in each of the last four days in Ohio, and Friday’s 33 confirmed new deaths is the highest number in a week. And attention has turned to testing after Gov. Mike DeWine got a positive result from a rapid test administered by the White House and a negative from a different kind of test a few hours later. 

Gov. Mike DeWine has now tested negative for coronavirus, after a rapid test administered by the White House before a planned meeting with President Trump came back positive. He'll being tested again on Saturday.

COVID-19 cases and deaths inched up in Ohio after three days of declines. And Gov. Mike DeWine has new instructions to prevent community spread in the next few weeks for kids going to back to class, because he says that will determine when school can return to a regular schedule.

Ohio voters with disabilities already have the option of curbside voting on Election Day. But a group representing voters suggest that option could be expanded to help medically fragile people who cannot mask themselves and walk into polls this November. 

As COVID-19 related job losses continue to affect thousands of Ohioans, many are in danger of losing their homes. A bill that’s been introduced by a Democratic state representative could help some of them. 

A revised health order continues to state that contact sports teams cannot conduct games with other teams, and cannot allow spectators at their scrimmages. High school sports officials say they're working with state leaders to make changes.

Five Ohio bars were cited in the first weekend of the state’s new order banning alcohol sales past 10pm.

The state pharmacy board changed its decision to ban the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) called for a more thorough investigation into the drug.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) announced on Tuesday that starting August 9, child care centers can begin operating under the regular class sizes and ratios before the pandemic began.

The state is pumping millions of dollars into the production of more person protective equipment to help people prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) says will also help Ohio's economic recovery.

State officials are pushing back against the false claim that COVID-19 cases are being counted more than once, saying the conspiracy theory derives from people misreading the reporting data.

Gov. Mike DeWine said he was looking to send a strong message about masks to some of his fellow Republican lawmakers in his speech on Wednesday. And he's also hinting that schools should prepare to go back to online learning and not to the classroom.

There are now 19 counties under a Level 3 advisory for the spread of COVID-19 in Ohio. This means more than 60% of the state's population will be under a mask mandate going into the weekend.

As school districts unveil their plans for resuming school this fall, some teachers are anxious about returning to their classrooms. 

Gov. Mike DeWine’s Wednesday evening speech seemed to be a warning to Ohioans to wear masks or risk another round of shutdowns and closures. DeWine’s fellow Republican Speaker Larry Householder has been critical of some of DeWine’s COVID-19 responses.  But in an interview for "The State of Ohio", Householder said he thought the speech was good.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) used an evening statewide address to urge Ohioans to take COVID-19 seriously and follow precautions such as wearing masks and observing social distance. However, DeWine stopped short of declaring any new health orders.

It’s state and federal tax filing day – delayed by three months because of coronavirus.

The state of Ohio has seen an increase of more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 each day for a week, with hospital rates taking a jump in patients as well.

12 Ohio counties are under an order by Gov. Mike DeWine to wear masks in indoor spaces and outdoors in areas where social distancing isn’t possible. That order is meant to reduce coronavirus rates in areas of the state where the virus is raging out of control. But the mask mandate is being met with mixed reactions.

A potential showdown is coming between state lawmakers and Gov. Mike DeWine, over a bill passed last month that hits at the power and reach of public health orders issued during the pandemic.

A conservative think tank has filed a lawsuit against the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio, claiming that its employees who live outside of Columbus shouldn’t have paid city income taxes while working during the state’s stay at home order.

Ohioans in a total of 12 counties will be required to wear masks starting Friday at 6pm. But there continue to be questions about the enforcement and legality of that and other public health orders, as lawmakers push back on some of the state’s COVID-19 responses.

Republican House Speaker Larry Householder’s office is reinstituting its work from home policy. This comes after at least one House employee was put on administrative following testing positive for COVID-19. And some Democratic members are furious, saying they’ve been kept in the dark.

The leader of Ohio’s Black state lawmakers’ group is the first Ohio legislator known to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Representative Stephanie Howse says she’s experiencing mild symptoms since being diagnosed a couple of days ago.

With cases of COVID-19 rising and the average age of those contracting the virus getting younger, Gov. Mike DeWine is ordering masks for people in counties considered "level 3 public health emergencies" - but not statewide.

Ohio has more of an idea about what this November’s election will look like now that the state’s election chief has handed down a directive outlining details to Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections.