DeWine: Contact Sports May Go Forward This Fall

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS:

Governor Mike DeWine gave the go ahead for contact sports this fall, with the option for schools wishing to play in spring of 2021.

In his COVID-19 Response News Conference Tuesday, DeWine said his team conferred with medical professionals, schools, parents, coaches and students before announcing the decision. During the discussions, he said many schools requested the option of playing in spring.

A number of urban area schools districts have either suspended or cancelled their fall sports programs.

As for playing this fall, soccer begins August 21st and football the week of August 24th. The Governor said spectators will be limited to family or those very close of the athletes as well as cheerleaders, drill teams and marching bands.

The issued order will be available later at www.coronavirus.gov.

DeWine added the decline in COVID-19 numbers statewide played a part in his decision to move forward with the order.

The Governor and Lt. Governor Jon Husted were scheduled to speak with coaches and athletic directors across the state in a conference call this afternoon. In his message he wants to remind them to “be flexible, make this work. If it doesn’t work… it doesn’t work – pull back. If you’re not too far into the season, maybe you can move over to try to do it in the sporing. We’ve got to be flexible because we’re dealing with so many tings that are unknown.”

GEORGETOWN VETERANS HOME:

Governor DeWine announced a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the Ohio Veteran’s home in Georgetown (Brown County). An employee tested positive, and two other employees may have been exposed to this individual. The Ohio Department of Veterans Services put additional safety measures in place at the home and they are tracking potential exposures. All residents in the unit where this employee works are being tested, as are the residents in the two other units where the potentially exposed employees are assigned.

OHIO GOVERNOR’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY:

First Lady Fran DeWine joined Governor DeWine today with an update on the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library. The Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library is approaching it’s one-year anniversary and is now available in 78 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

With help from the Ohio General Assembly and local partners throughout the state, the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library has expanded throughout the state and about 191,000 children are receiving a book in the mail monthly. Last summer, the program was only available in pockets throughout the state and about 93,000 children were enrolled at the time.

CENTINNIAL OF WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE:

Governor DeWine reminded Ohioans that today marks the 100^th anniversary of the 19^thamendment. He encouraged Ohioans to learn more about the history of the women’s suffrage movement by visiting the Ohio History Connection webpage, ohiohistory.org. Governor DeWine also announced that TourismOhio has created a women’s history road trip to mark the centennial. It can be found at ohio.org.

CURRENT COVID-19 DATA:

There are 109,923 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 3,871 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 12,436 people have been hospitalized, including 2,805 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page.

For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.