LIGHTHOUSE & MARITIME FESTIVAL ON AUG. 15 IS CANCELLED

The Port Clinton Lighthouse & Maritime Festival in Waterworks Park in Port Clinton on Saturday, Aug. 15 has been cancelled, reported Festival Committee Chair Toni Garrett and Clair Jeremy. The Lighthouse Festival will return on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021.

“In the interest of slowing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and with particular concern for the health of our festival family, the performers, staff and our community, it is with deep sadness that we cancel,” said the Lighthouse Board of Directors. It cited state recommendations that large events and mass gatherings to be cancelled or postponed.

Questions should be directed to Garrett, 419-341-1610, or Jeremy, 419-344-4486.

BOWLING GREEN BASEBALL PROGRAM SLASHED AS BUDGET CUTS LOOM

The Bowling Green State University baseball program is being eliminated entirely in order to save the athletics department budget $2 million. Because of state budgets cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BGSU is looking at a $29 million shortfall this year.

Cutting the baseball program will save only $500,000. No other sports programs are being cut, as yet, but harsh budget cuts in each sports program are expected. About 100 university employees will also lose their jobs.

NATIONAL GUARD TO TEST NURSING HOME RESIDENTS IN OHIO

Nursing homes, veterans hospitals, prisons and other congregate facilities are at the top of Ohio’s list for COVID-19 cases. Gov. Mike DeWine will try to increase the number of people tested in those facilities by calling in the Ohio National Guard.

DeWine plans to send out 14 National Guard teams into the field this week to administer tests in congregate living facilities. Nursing homes around the state had reported that through last week, 878 of the 2,002 deaths in Ohio were at long-term care facilities.

DeWine’s goal was to be able to test 22,000 people each day by late May, but officials have only been able to perform 8,000 to 11,000 daily tests.

LT. GOV. HUSTED ANNOUNCES TECHCRED AWARDS TO BOOST RECOVERY

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, announced that 150 Ohio companies have been approved for TechCred fundings, which will help them up skill their current and incoming workforce to meet the needs of the increasingly tech-focused economy, particularly amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

The TechCred program was launched in September with the goal of expending tech talent and helping businesses upskill their current employees in areas such as software development, robotics and cyber security. As companies work to adapt to new technological demands during the global pandemic, the potential positive impact of the initiative has an even greater reach.

OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REOPENS CHILD CARE SERVICES

All facilities providing child care services that are licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) are permitted to reopen as long as all safety standards are met, reported Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of health. Any child care provider not licensed by the ODJFS or the Ohio Department of Education is also permitted to reopen.

OHIO PHARMACIES TO ORDER, ADMINISTER COVID-19 TESTS

Gov. Mike DeWine announced that the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has clarified rules that allow pharmacists to order and administer tests for COVID-19.

To help Ohioans find testing locations, a map has been added to coronavirus.ohio.gov that lists COVID-19 testing centers in Ohio. The map includes links to community health centers and pharmacy sites to assist citizens in finding information about how to get a test referral or schedule an appointment.

Ohio has modified priorities in light of changes in testing availability and evolving knowledge of COVID-19 and its impact on Ohioans.

Testing must be first available to individuals described in Priority Groups 1, 2 and 3, but Ohio is expanding to allow testing in Priority Group 4, which includes testing “individuals in the community to decrease community spread, including individuals with symptoms who do not meet any of the above categories.”

OUTDOOR VISITATION TO BE ALLOWED AT ASSISTED LIVING FACILITES

On Monday, June 8, properly prepared assisted living facilities and intermediate care facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities can begin to allow outdoor visitation.

The lifted restrictions do not yet apply to nursing homes.

The decision to move forward with outdoor visitation for assisted living facilities and intermediate care facilities was made with input from advocates and providers in the aging and development disabilities communities, as well as families and residents.  Guidelines for visitation were jointly developed by the Academy for Senior Health Sciences, Leading Age Ohio, the Ohio Assisted Living Association, the Ohio Health Care Association, and the Ohio Medical Director’s Association.

Because each facility is different, each facility will determine how to best implement outdoor visitations, however, at a minimum, all facilities must develop a policy that includes:

• Screening for temperatures and symptom-reporting for visitors
• Scheduled hours and time limits for visits
• Proper social distancing measures
• Face coverings
• Resident, family, and friend education about the risks of the spread of COVID-19
• Consideration for visitors during end-of-life situations will also be expanded. Providers should notify family members when a resident’s substantial change of condition indicates end-of-life is approaching. Providers should not wait until a resident is actively dying to allow visitors.

BWC TO DEFER EMPLOYER PREMIUM INSTALLMENTS

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) is deferring Ohio employers’ premium installments for the months of June, July, and August. Businesses will have the option to defer the monthly premium payments with no financial penalties.

This is the second payment deferral BWC has given to employers amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The deferral is designed to help employers focus financial resources on re-opening their businesses under the Responsible RestartOhio Plan.