Wood County Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operation Center’s Situation Report on COVID-19 Response
This April 28 report communicates Wood County Emergency Operations Center’s activity over the past 24 hours.
Executive Summary:
Gov. Mike DeWine – My commitment is that I will continue to listen to your thoughts and to your ideas as we move through this process. There will have to be adjustments as we go. I realize that a mandatory mask requirement for people who are shopping is offensive to some of our fellow Ohioans. For some people this is a difficult thing to do. We made the decision that for retail customers this will not be mandated. It is best practice and is in the best interest of Ohioans to wear a mask when in retail establishments. This will help to protect those around you from getting sick. It is not to protect you it is to protect others.
Your collective actions are more important than any order I issue. The business can make a decision to require customers to wear masks/face coverings. Every day I look at the numbers, anyone who thinks this is some sort of conspiracy or that this is made up, needs to talk to the family members of someone who has died from this. Anyone that thinks this is some sort of hoax or this is not occurring….family members have not been able to visit their infected loved ones. Every time we act like it’s some sort of conspiracy, it is not doing a service to the people of Ohio.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted- The business group we used to help with the announcement yesterday is very valuable. They gave us a lot of guidance. The businesses opening up need to read the orders, follow them closely, otherwise they will be shut down. Know that your voices are being heard. Just because masks aren’t mandated by the government in businesses and retail, it doesn’t mean that many of them will not require masks. It is best practice to require masks in order to keep their employees and customers safe.
Dr. Amy Acton – We are now seeing cases in all 88 counties, 6% of cases have required ICU admission, and 16% of cases are healthcare workers. Trends are level overall. There are a few new symptoms recently added by CDC to COVID description: chills and shaking, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste and smell. Over half of Ohioans might have a risk factor (heart conditions, lung conditions, etc.) for COVID-19. Contact your doctors to schedule well visits at this time.
Water quality and safety: make sure you flush the cold and hot water if your building hasn’t been used in a while. Lead and diseases like Legionella could be sitting in these pipes. Air circulation: make sure to change your furnace filter, improve the quality of the filter, open windows, make sure you aren’t reusing the air in your business. Talk to heating and cooling person about this. Don’t set to recirculate. Draw in outside air.
Hospitals are very safe places to be right now. They have very strict guidelines for infection control. Healthcare workers: many are fighting on the frontlines. Seeing other people suffer and die when you feel like you can’t help them, can make you feel helpless. Please seek help if you are struggling at all. You are not alone.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose – This is not what any of us envisioned but we have risen to the occasion. Tonight at 7:30 we will close the polls and tabulate the results. Ohioans, we have seen 1.9 million requests for absentee ballots, 1.5 have been returned so far. You have until 7:30 tonight to drop off to your local board of elections secure drop box. Every voice matters and every vote counts.
Ohio Confirmed Cases: 16,128
Ohio Probable Cases: 641
Ohio Total Confirmed plus Probable: 16,769
Ohio Hospitalizations: 3,340
ICU Admissions: 1,004
Ohio Confirmed COVID Deaths: 757
Ohio Probable COVID Deaths: 42
Wood County Cases (total plus probable): 146
Wood County Hospitalizations: 45
Wood County Long Term Care Cases: 57
Wood County Deaths: 20
County EOC Objectives:
1. Coordinate the county’s response to limit spread of COVID-19; and maintain medical care.
2. Provide timely, clear, and consistent messaging to the public, stakeholders and media on the status of COVID-19 and actions the public can take to keep themselves safe.
3. Determine how county agencies will continue delivery of essential services to Wood County residents while following COVID-19 public health guidelines.
4. Prevent, identify, mitigate, and respond to COVID19 hotspots within the county.
EMA:
An abbreviated version of this report can be found at: http://woodcountyema.org/covid-19/ .
Also, please contact us if you have PPE to donate, if you have any PPE needs or have any questions. We are also looking for individuals selling cloth masks so we can connect citizens looking for them. If you are one of these people making masks for a fee or a donation please send us your information to have on hand if we find people looking. Businesses looking for large suppliers of cloth masks can contact Skyrocket/BiG Fab Labs at 419-466-0668 or kevin@skyrocketbox.com .
EMA and public health have been reaching out to areas of concern and identified “hotspots” in the county to ensure their PPE supply is adequate to meet the needs of the situation. We continue to accept, inventory, and fulfill PPE resource requests.
Ohio Emergency PPE Maker’s Exchange is an available online resource to share and purchase personal protective equipment created through the ingenuity of Ohio manufacturers who have answered the call to help. https://repurposingproject.sharetribe.com/
Public Health:
There are 16,128 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ohio. There are 146 cases (total confirmed plus probable) presently in Wood County, 45 of those hospitalized, 57 in long term care, and 20 deaths.
Health department staff are answering calls regarding testing, essential business concerns, employee safety, the stay-at-home order and many other questions. Case follow-up and close contact tracing is being coordinated by a team of employees.
Wood County residents who feel they may have coronavirus are encouraged to complete a survey that will help local public health better track the illness. Wood County residents are asked to report coronavirus symptoms at https://tinyurl.com/WoodCountyCOVID19 .
Healthcare:
Please realize that our agency is continually taking in donations and pushing out resource requests. Our abilities change similar to your needs. For formal resource requests, please contact us at: woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us .
Law Enforcement/Fire/EMS:
Many PPE requests have been submitted and addressed. If you have a need, please put in a formal request in writing to: woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us . Please realize that our agency is continually taking in donations and pushing out resource requests. Our abilities change similar to your needs.
Wood County Health Department is implementing a new procedure for testing symptomatic first responders or their immediate household family members through UTMC. Requests for testing must be sent by the Chief to FRCovid19@co.wood.oh.us
For the past 15 months, the Wood County First Responder Support Team has been reaching out to those who need help dealing with the stress, whether it’s directly related to incidents on the job or life issues with family, marriage, kids. The support team offers first responders a chance to talk one on one, with full confidentiality, to a peer – someone who knows the drill. These volunteers have been trained through the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police.
Wood County Commissioners:
Effective Wednesday, April 29, all people entering the Courthouse Complex and all Wood County buildings are required to wear a mask, scarf, or other covering on their face prior to entering. Please be prepared for this. Wood County is unable to provide masks to visitors. Masks shall be worn in all public areas of all buildings, and social distancing of at least 6 feet shall be maintained. Additionally, all visitors will have their temperature taken and be asked several health questions before being permitted to proceed. If they have a fever greater than 100 degrees, they must wait while a representative of the office they wish to visit is contacted.
As Wood County Offices and Departments work to comply with the Governor’s re-opening plan, we still recommend that visitors please call before you come – Access to many County offices and departments is restricted. To obtain phone numbers to county offices and departments, please access the County website: www.co. wood.oh.us To obtain information by phone, please call (419)354-9000 or 1-866-860-4140 (toll free).
Wood County Landfill:
The Public Drop-off area of the Wood County Landfill will reopen on Friday, May 1, 2020. This area has been closed since the Governor issued the Shelter-in-Place Order. All people coming to do business at the landfill are required to wear a mask, scarf, or covering on their face while at the payment window. Please be prepared with your own mask
BGSU:
Publishing a situation report twice/week.
Bowling Green State University continues its commitment to students and making education accessible by planning to reduce the domestic, non-resident surcharge to $1 per credit hour for out-of-state students who have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Ohio from an Ohio institution and who enroll in a degree-seeking graduate program for the 2020-2021 academic school year, starting with fall 2020.
BGSU Athletics is partnering with Campus Pollyeyes, Sam B’s, and Jimmy John’s to feed local hospital, nursing home, law enforcement, and grocery store workers on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. Please click the link below to provide a free meal for these hometown heroes. For every meal purchased you will receive a free ticket to BGSU Football’s 2020 home opener on Saturday, Sept. 12. You can be a part of the fight and help make a difference.
Local:
The Bowling Green Human Relations Commission will meet on Friday, May 1, at 8 a.m., via Zoom. The public may watch the meeting live on the city’s YouTube Live channel – www.bgohio.org/meetings .
Firefly Nights, a popular festival held on four Fridays during the year in the spring through fall, will be canceled for 2020, due to coronavirus.
The City of Rossford is planning to open the Rossford Marina on Saturday, May 2. Patrons of the Marina will be asked to abide by all safety protocols including maintaining the six foot social distancing guidelines between themselves and other boaters. The marina will be monitored and any patrons congregating in groups will be asked to disperse. The City of Rossford wishes to provide a safe boating experience for the patrons of the marina and we are counting on the cooperation of all to ensure this can be done safely. Please contact the City of Rossford at 419-666-0210 with questions.
The City of Perrysburg has canceled Safety Town for 2020. The City of Perrysburg Municipal Pool will remain closed for the duration of 2020. Downtown Perrysburg Inc. (DPI) has canceled all events for 2020. The organization is currently working on providing virtual family activities during the summer months. More details to come soon. The Perrysburg Youth Summer Theatre has cancelled all events and programming for 2020. The Farmer’s Market, which is operated by the Perrysburg Convention and Visitor Bureau, will be suspended through June 15. Re-evaluation of opening the Farmer’s Market will be decided as June 15 draws nearer. Additionally, although park equipment, playgrounds, and restrooms are closed at City Parks, parks will remain open. Please note that organized sports are not permitted on City owned property
13abc along with Foertmeyer and Sons Northwest have partnered to supply meals to NW Ohio/SE Michigan area schools. The campaign allows you to purchase beautiful Spring Flowers while supporting kids in your community. Visit https://www.fundraiseit.org/13abc and select
Otsego to support your local school district. Pick up location: Thursday, 5/28/2020, 9AM – 3PM Meijer’s Parking Lot, SE corner 2111 E. Wooster St. Bowling Green.
The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation is sending up to $1.6 billion in dividends to Ohio’s public and private employers this spring to ease the coronavirus impact on the economy and business community. For Wood County, the public employers’ dividend is $1.7 million. The private employers’ dividend is $16.6 million.
The next food distribution and senior food box program will be held Friday, May 1, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., at First United Methodist Church, 1526 E. Wooster St., Bowling Green. Free fresh produce and other food will be available in limited quantities. This is for anyone in Wood County who meets the income guidelines or who has recently lost their job. SeaGate Food Bank will also be present at the same time to hand out Senior Boxes to those who meet their eligibility requirements. There will also be an additional free box of food handed out by Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank. There will be a new drive-thru set-up this month to distribute food in accordance with current guidelines to help prevent the spread of viruses. You are asked to remain in your vehicles in the church parking lot and wait for volunteer instructions. Our volunteers appreciate your patience as we try to continue to serve those in need safely. Contact the church if you have questions at 419-353-0682.
WIC: @NoKidHungry has launched a texting hotline to provide information about emergency food distribution sites in communities where schools have been closed due to #COVID19 . To find food near you text FOOD or COMIDA to 877-877.
The Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, announces a webinar with Keith Lake from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Team on Tuesday, May 12 at 8 a.m. This is open to all Chamber Investors. During this webinar, Lake will address what the priorities of the Ohio Chamber are related to COVID-19. Investors are encouraged to submit their questions on this topic, as well as the priorities our business community is facing that relate to The Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Agenda.
Administrative Information:
Any information and contributions your agency has for this report is valuable to maintain a common operating picture and situational awareness for the county as a whole.
Please reach out to our office via phone or email (email preferred) to share information.
EOC Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Requesting support: Call Wood County EMA at 419-354-9269 or email
woodcountyema@co.wood.oh.us
ODH Call line: 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634)
www.coronavirus.ohio.gov
