Health officials in Putnam County reported a big increase in coronavirus cases on Thursday.
The jump is mostly due to an increase in testing and lab-confirmed cases related to the outbreak at the Meadows of Leipsic, the health department said.
Putnam County as of Thursday was up to 47 cases of the coronavirus and three deaths.
On Wednesday the county as at 23 cases and two deaths.
Governor Mike DeWine will announce his plan to begin opening up businesses across Ohio on Monday.
During his Thursday coronavirus briefing, DeWine said the process will be a slow one, in order to make sure customers and employees remain safe during the ongoing pandemic.
The governor also said he must ensure the state has an adequate testing capacity, and the number of hospitalized patients continues to decline.
Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted added that it won’t be as easy as simply flipping a switch to restart the economy.
The head of the Ohio Department of Health, Dr. Amy Acton, is urging Ohioans not to be alarmed by an uptick in coronavirus cases.
She says the numbers are growing as testing is expanding across the state.
Marion County has become a coronavirus hot spot in Ohio.
Health officials say the county has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.
However, the majority of the 2,161 cases are inmates and staff at the Marion County Correctional Institution.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife says citizen scientists have found 707 bald eagle nests in the Buckeye State.
The nest census results show an increase of 151 percent from the last census, conducted in 2012.
“It’s really good news to see that there are that many active bald eagle nests in the state and that Hancock County has 12 of those nests,” said Rick Kidwell, a bird enthusiast from Findlay.
Of the 12 nests in Hancock County, Kidwell says the oldest nest is around 20 years old and off of State Route 15 near the Blanchard River and the newest one is out by Riverbend Recreation Area.
There’s also a nest at State Route 15 and U.S. 68 where the bridge project is underway and ODOT has been monitoring that nest for disruptions but so far so good.
Kidwell says bald eagles are such a majestic bird whether they’re sitting on the edge of their nest or soaring in the sky.
The bald eagle was once an endangered species, with only four nesting pairs in Ohio in 1979.
However, thanks to partnerships between the Division of Wildlife, Ohio zoos, wildlife rehabilitation facilities, concerned landowners, and sportsmen and women its population has increased significantly.
After much hard work and continued conservation, the bald eagle was removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species in 2007 and from Ohio’s list in 2012.
“The bald eagle is a symbol of American strength and resilience,” said Governor DeWine.
“The eagle’s comeback in Ohio and across the country proves that we can overcome any challenge when we work together.”
Three former Buckeyes are set to be among the prospects who will participate remotely in the virtual NFL Draft.
Ohio State’s Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, and J.K. Dobbins will join 58 other players, including Athens, Ohio native and Heisman winner Joe Burrow for the event.
The entire draft will be held online with Burrow expected to be selected at number one overall by Cincinnati, and Young predicted to go a number two to Washington, while Okudah could go as high as number three to Detroit or land at number seven to Carolina.
The first round of the draft is scheduled to begin Thursday at 8 p.m.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office has been taking precautions to prevent the coronavirus from entering the jail.
“We have not had any cases, the precautions are working very well,” said Captain Ryan Kidwell.
He says the precautions include social distancing, increased handwashing and temperature screenings of staff and inmates.
Captain Kidwell says another way they’ve been able to keep COVID-19 out of the jail is by reducing the jail population.
When the pandemic began the inmate population was in the 120s and it’s now down to 58 by releasing non-violent offenders and placing them on home monitoring or some other type of probation.
He says new inmates are placed in a 14-day isolation as they’re monitored for symptoms of coronavirus.
Captain Kidwell says, because of these efforts, they have not had a single staff member of inmate test positive for COVID-19.
He says during this pandemic, corrections officers have truly lived up to the sheriff’s office mission of being committed to the community while at the same time facing challenges of work-life balance and being frontline and essential employees.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is beginning the process of reopening its Findlay facility as well as other manufacturing plants in the United States.
The plants had been closed for about five weeks to protect the health and safety of employees and in response to market demand that has been impacted by the coronavirus.
The company says it has put in place a comprehensive list of return-to-work procedures that employees will follow.
Additional details are in the following news release.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) today announced that its manufacturing plants in the United States and Serbia will begin the process of reopening and ramping up production next week. The facilities have been temporarily closed for approximately five weeks due to coronavirus and its impacts.
U.S. plant locations include Findlay, Ohio; Clarksdale and Tupelo, Mississippi and Texarkana, Arkansas. Cooper’s plant in Serbia is located in Kruševac. The company’s plant in Melksham, England remains temporarily closed.
To help safeguard the health and safety of employees, the company has put in place a comprehensive set of return to work procedures that include required employee disclosures, increased cleaning and disinfecting of equipment, social distancing and physical barriers, visitor restrictions, and other measures. Similar procedures have been effective at Cooper’s two plants in China, which reopened and began ramping up production in mid-February.
The company also announced that the federal government in Mexico has now determined that Cooper’s manufacturing plant there is a non-essential business, and is requiring Cooper to temporarily close the plant beginning April 28. Cooper had successfully reopened its Mexico plant April 13 after it had been temporarily closed due to coronavirus and its impacts. The company will continue to monitor the situation and prepare to reopen as soon as appropriate.
Cooper’s distribution centers around the globe continue to operate and flow product to customers.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol now has regional Twitter accounts in addition to its main Twitter page.
The highway patrol says the regional accounts will provide more localized information to area residents and members of the media.
The information will include things like traffic crashes, major road closures, public outreach, traffic safety information and more.
The regional account for northwest Ohio is @OSHP_NWOhio.
The other regional accounts are as follows:
@OSHP_CentralOH
@OSHP_NEOhio
@OSHP_SEOhio
@OSHP_SWOhio
The City of Findlay is bracing for an estimated 20 percent drop in revenue from what they forecasted for 2020.
77 percent of the city’s revenue comes from income tax and with so much shut down due to the coronavirus a big chunk of that money won’t be coming in.
Mayor Christina Muryn says the city will be dipping into its rainy day fund so there’s no interruption to the services that residents deserve and expect.
“So we’re going to have to eat into that a little bit, but that’s exactly what it’s for, it’s storming”
The city has about $13 million in reserves.
Mayor Muryn says they’re required to keep a minimum balance of around $1.5 million in the fund and doesn’t anticipate coming close to that.
The mayor says, at this point, they feel that they’ll be able to get by without cutting any personnel but if things get more drastic that’s something that could be considered.
As for now she says the city is rolling with the punches as the pandemic continues.
“We’re making a lot of small changes to adapt and prepare, and the department heads are doing a great job of being really cautious. It’ll be tight but we’ll be alright.”
Hancock Public Health on Wednesday reported that the county was up to 30 confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus.
That’s an increase of one case from Tuesday.
24 of the cases are confirmed and six are probable.
Eight of the patients have been hospitalized.
Hancock County has had one resident die from the virus.
People experiencing coronavirus symptoms are urged to call the COVID-19 Triage & Testing Center at Blanchard Valley Hospital at 419-423-7890, or the center at Bluffton Hospital at 419-369-2399.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, shortness of breath, fever of 100.4 degrees or greater and fatigue.
The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation and the United Way of Hancock County have awarded grants from their emergency funds to address community needs stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
The two organizations are coordinating their response to funding requests and sharing emerging data regarding community needs.
This week, 11 grants totaling $115,574 were awarded to local nonprofits addressing emerging needs and impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Both organizations have independent funds and teams for reviewing grants,” said United Way CEO Angela DeBoskey.
“By combining the United Way’s experience in emergency relief efforts with The Community Foundation’s focus on long-term recovery, we feel like we’re giving Hancock County the most unified approach possible.”
The Community Foundation awarded grants totaling $64,016 to the following;
– Hope House $10,000
– YMCA $10,000
– Habitat for Humanity $4,000
– West Ohio Food Bank $39,016
– Youth for Christ $1,000
United Way of Hancock County’s Board of Directors issued six Crisis Relief grant awards totaling $51,558 to the following;
– Christian Clearing House, $15,000 for eviction and homelessness protection
– West Ohio Food Bank, $11,508 for emergency food boxes for homebound seniors
– City Mission, $15,000 for emergency shelter and needs
– Hope House for the Homeless, $7,500 for housing services for the homeless
– Van Buren Maranatha Food Pantry, $600 for its food pantry
– The Feed-A-Child program, a partnership of the Findlay YMCA and United Way of Hancock County, has also received Crisis Donations totaling $1,950 which will go to feed children within our community.
To apply for funding or donate visit http://liveunitedhancockcounty.org/relief-fund-2020.