Governor Mike DeWine says Ohioans can visit loved ones outside at nursing homes starting July 20th.

He made the announcement on Monday in a news conference he called only hours earlier.

The National Guard is currently making progress on testing all nursing homes and once they’re cleared the visiting can start again.

DeWine says he’s confident this approach will keep people safe.

Ohio has had 51,046 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began, including an increase in 737 cases in the past 24 hours.

There have been 2,818 deaths.

Hancock Public Health says there have been 74 cases in the county and one death. 13 of the cases are active.

DeWine says hospitalizations in the state are increasing, and the week of June 21st to 27th saw an increase of at least 500 patients.

That’s the highest number in two months.

DeWine says the largest increases are in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton.

He says Ohioans need to continue wearing their face masks and practicing social distancing.