Below is a distillation of the 13-page amended order issued on April 2, 2020 by Ohio’s Director of Health, Amy Acton, MD, MPH. To read the complete order click here. To read answers to frequently asked questions click here.
- The amended order becomes effective at 11:59 p.m. on April 6, 2020 and remains in effect until 11:59 p.m. on May 1, 2020.
- The amended order largely repeats the Director’s Stay at Home Order which became effective at 11:59 p.m. on March 23, 2020 and was set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on April 6, 2020.
- The amended order continues to require all individuals to stay at home or place of residence.
- The amended order continues to require all businesses – except “Essential Businesses and Operations” to cease all business activities other than their “Minimum Basic Operations.”
- The amended order, however, clarifies that businesses, including home-based businesses, may continue operations consisting exclusively of employees or contractors performing at their own residences or where the business consists of a single person, so long as all safe workplace safety standards are met. The italicized language was added ostensibly so as to allow landscaping and lawn maintenance services.
- The amended order also adds a few new provisions, including:
- The closure of sporting events, day camps, swimming pools, campgrounds;
- Asking anyone traveling into Ohio to self-quarantine for 14 days, except for people who live near the border and commute across state lines on a regular basis;
- Prohibiting anyone from entering into Ohio who has tested positive for COVID-19 or are presumptively diagnosed, or are exhibiting signs, unless they are seeking medical assistance or are permanent residents of the State;
- Restricting wedding receptions to a maximum of 10 people, the limit set for most other mass gatherings.
- Requiring retail businesses to establish and post a maximum occupancy during the coronavirus virus. Each business can decide for themselves what the number should be
- The amended order creates a dispute resolution panel for situations in which similar businesses are being treated differently in different counties or health districts
- Violating the “stay-at-home” order is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $750 fine.
