The state has entered into an agreement with a company to provide COVID-19 testing for every assisted living facility in the state. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says this marks an important step forward in stopping the spread of coronavirus in high-risk residential areas.
The program offers baseline saliva testing for the coronavirus in all of Ohio's assisted living facilities, that more than 760 across the state.
DeWine says access to these tests will provide accurate, quick results and allow those residential centers the ability to modify their policies based on the test results.
"When you go into assisted living and you test and you get those numbers back then the local health department can take over, tracing can occur, and lives can be saved," says DeWine.
DeWine says it's critical that every assisted living facility follow the program so he's signed an executive ordermaking it mandatory.