Dr. Patty Manning, chief of staff at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, added that cleaning high-touch surfaces and improving ventilation — opening windows or holding class outside when possible — will reduce the spread.
Young people through age 19 make up 12.8% of the COVID19 cases now, up from just 2.4% of the cases in March, according to state data.
DeWine emphasized that efforts to slow the spread in the community are crucial for schools.
“My plea to everyone today is that if we want our kids to go to school in person, to play sports, to be in extracurricular activities - it’s up to all of us to cut down the spread in our communities,” he said. “Wear masks, social distance, avoid large gatherings.”
Dewine reported that 325 school districts with 590,000 students plan to return to the classrooms five days a week; 55 districts in mostly urban areas with 398,000 students will be fully remote; 154 districts with 380,000 students will kick off the school year with a hybrid model; and data isn’t yet available for the remaining 78 districts.
Among local school districts, Lebanon will be the first to bring students back in-person five days a week, with the first day of classes there set for next Monday, Aug. 17. Bellbrook schools also start next Monday, but with a hybrid schedule, and Brookville will start five days a week Aug. 19.
Dr. Manning noted that there is a lot of uncertainty about how the pandemic will play out as children return to school.
When asked if it’s possible staffing schools could become problematic if teachers fall ill, DeWine said superintendents and school board members will be best positioned to gauge those problems. “There is no real play book for this.”
The Ohio Department of Health reported 102,826 confirmed and probable cases; 3,708 total deaths; 11,760 cumulative hospitalizations. The positivity rate — the number of people who test positive divided by the total number of tests — has declined from a 6.2% seven-day rolling average a month ago to 5.1%.
DeWine acknowledged that slow turn around times for coronavirus test results is a problem in Ohio where some labs still have difficulty obtaining testing supplies. “We know it’s a problem. We’re doing everything we can to cut the time down and get more testing,” DeWine said.
Last week, the governor announced that all students would be required to wear masks inside schools, unless they have a medical or behavior health condition that prohibits it.
While the Big10 Conference announced it is canceling fall sports, DeWine said he expects to announce a decision on contact sports for high schools in the near future.
The governor said there are benefits to allowing sports to go forward, including learning team work and discipline.
“I think it’s a disappointment for Buckeye Nation but probably more importantly, it’s a disappointment for the young men who play football,” DeWine said. “As a fan, I’m disappointed but this is a decision made by the Big Ten, made by the schools and we have to respect that decision.”
When asked if the Big10 decision would influence his thinking on high school sports, DeWine said no decision is made in a vacuum.
Reporter Jeremy Kelley contributed to this story.
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