There is not enough personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and first responders, among others, and not enough testing for the coronavirus, Whaley said Thursday during a press conference on the COVID-19 situation hosted by Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.
Even if DeWine allowed people to go back to work, there would still be restrictions.
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“We will still encourage people not to go out unless they absolutely necessarily have to because this is still going to be among us and we still are not going to have the tools that we need in this community to keep people safe and keep them alive,” Whaley said.
The best example for how things will change is the difference in flying before and after the terror attacks of 9/11, she said.
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Before, people could walk right up to the gate and there were no security checks. Immediately following the attacks, it took hours to get through stringent security. Now, the Transportation Safety Administration has a system in place and it is different but the new normal.
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The coronavirus also will cause permanent changes.
“The way that we touch each other, the way that we hang out in parks, the way that we eventually will get to organized sports — which will probably be the last thing that we get to do — all of these things will change because of this virus.
“That is a hard pill for us to swallow but it is necessary because we put human life before everything else,” Whaley said.
Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper said his agency updated the coronavirus page on its website.
“Our hope is you find it much easier to navigate,” he said.
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