“Your business is classified as a non-essential business. You are required to immediately cease operations under the director’s order until further notice. However, those activities required to maintain minimum basic operations may continue,” read the letter signed by Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper.
>> Coronavirus: Public Health orders 3 more businesses to close
Three businesses were ordered to shut down on April 10, and before that, 18 businesses were ordered to close on April 3. The health department said it would post those businesses online, but as of Wednesday only 12 are listed.
>> Coronavirus: Public Health orders 18 businesses to close
Visitor restrictions at hospitals in the region will remain in place at least until Ohio’s state of emergency is lifted for the coronavirus pandemic.
Sarah Hackenbracht, president and CEO of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association said hospitals in the region recognize the restrictions are significantly challenging for families, but that it is a necessary safety precaution.
>> Coronavirus: Complete Coverage
“We do not take the decision for visor restrictions lightly, but it truly is a measure of safety for our regions hospitals to make sure that we are taking care of you and your family when you are in our care as well as everyone else in the community that our hospitals are responsible for,” Hackenbracht said Wednesday during an afternoon press conference on the coronavirus situation hosted by Public Health.
Cooper addressed the importance of wearing cloth masks, and that some states, including New York and Maryland, are now requiring people to wear them in public.
“It’s becoming more and more of a recommendation across this country that we should be wearing a cloth face mask,” he said.
Wearing a mask makes it less likely that a person who is infected but does not have symptoms sheds the virus and spreads COVID-19 to others.
“It’s important to remember that the cloth face mask is not a substitution for social distancing,” Cooper said.
Tracy Clare, Public Health’s emergency preparedness and training specialist, said elastic is needed so volunteer sewers can repair masks for healthcare workers.
The donation site is the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store loading dock, 945 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., in Dayton. Other items needed include surgical masks, N-95 respirators, nitrile gloves, aprons, gowns, face shields, PAPRs (powers air purifying respirators) and APRs (air purifying respirators).
Clare said there also are kits for sewing masks without elastic that will go out to first responders. Those interested in the kits can call the COVID-19 call center at 937-225-6217.
“We had to create a way to do masks without elastic that is still easy and adjustable,” Clare said.
There is information about making the masks on the health department's website.
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