COLUMBUS — Saying it’s a risk he has to take, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday announced reopening dates for restaurants and salons, two business sectors whose return from coronavirus shutdowns has been most anticipated.
Hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, spas, and other personal-care businesses may open their doors starting May 15, while restaurants may offer service in outdoor dining areas that day and invite customers inside for sit-down service beginning May 21.
Bars may do the same — as long as they can maintain social distancing. There won’t be an immediate rush back to the dance floor or gatherings around the bar. But tables could be placed in those general areas to maintain distance between parties.
Mr. DeWine plans a similar announcement about day-cares on Monday with campgrounds coming soon as well.
But he warned Ohioans must still practice social distancing, should wear face masks, and should stay home as much as possible. He and his health director, Dr. Amy Acton, fully expect an accompanying increase in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths with the new freedom.
“This is a gamble...,” Mr. DeWine said. “We’re on a road that’s never been traveled, certainly never traveled before in Ohio. It is a road that has danger signs. ... If we relax, if we pull back, if we take things for granted, in a month, six weeks from now, seven weeks from now things are not going to go the way we want them.”
Restaurants and personal-care businesses were among the last to receive green-lights to restart because they are among the trickiest challenges for leaders when it comes to safety and social distancing.
The businesses will be guided by new safety measures that will significantly change the experience of going out to dinner or getting a trim. Patrons may have to wait for services in their cars or in lines outside for the start of their hair appointments to reduce the capacity in buildings.
Restaurants will seat people in groups of fewer than 10. Tables will be 6 feet apart or separated by a barrier, whether the back wall of a booth or by Plexiglas. Meals from salad bars and buffets will be served at the table and will not be self-service.
Salon workers — who do the intimate work of hair cutting, manicuring, and waxing — will wear protective gear and may require the same of clients. They will also follow strict sanitizing measures, said Debra Penzone, a licensed cosmetologist and owner of Penzone Salons in the Columbus area. She led a group tasked with developing rules for her industry to practice and they reawaken.
No one expects diners to eat while wearing masks. But it will be up to restaurant and bar owners to decide whether their customers should be wearing masks while waiting for service or walking through dining areas.
Not every employee will be wearing masks, either.
“We don’t want someone standing over a hot grill to be wearing a mask,” said Treva Weaver of Wasserstrom and Zoup! Eatery in Columbus. She chaired the group that recommended best practices for the restaurant industry.
“We all love the communities and neighborhoods we serve and can’t wait to see guests safely back in dining rooms and on patios,” said John Barker, president & CEO of the Ohio Restaurant Association. “We will partner with health departments in Ohio to focus owners and operators on strict adherence to the Administration’s requirements and recommended guidelines.”
Neither Mr. DeWine nor Dr. Acton indicated they have immediate plans to dine in at their favorite restaurants. The governor said that decision would be up to First Lady Fran DeWine.
“I have no life right now,” Dr. Acton said. “Taking a walk is highest on my list of things I want to do, get out in a park, get out in nature the first chance I get.”
On Thursday the state reported 46 additional deaths — higher than average over the last 21 days — for a new total of 1,271. There were also 88 new hospitalizations, also going in the wrong direction. But new cases were trending down, adding a below-average 555 over the last 24 hours for a new total of 22,131.
Dr. Acton said the number of people who can be expected to be infected by a single person with coronavirus has gone from two or three to one. But that figure could rise as people begin resuming activities outside their homes.
The Ohio House on Wednesday passed bills that would limit the life of her orders to 14 days and require the director to get bipartisan approval from a little-known 10-member legislative panel to extend beyond that.
“We’re in the middle of an emergency, an emergency we have not faced in 102 years,” Mr. DeWine said. “So I don’t understand why anyone would think this is the right time to be changing the law, to be taking away the power of the executive branch to protect people. ...Any bill that attempts to get in the way of our abilities to protect the people of the state of Ohio is a bill I will be forced to veto.”
The governor has already allowed manufacturers, distribution facilities, construction companies, and offices to reopen as long as they take specific steps to protect employees, patients, and customers.
On Tuesday retail and service sectors will begin reopening, but they’re required to limit the number of customers inside at one time, and many employees will be required to wear masks. Customers are also strongly encouraged to wear masks, but Mr. DeWine reversed course on ordering them to do so.
While Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said more than 90% of Ohio’s economy will be back up this month, there has been no word yet on such things as gyms, public pools, recreation centers, theaters, sporting events, mass gatherings, and travel in general.
Mr. DeWine’s latest announcement on the state’s phased reopening comes as tens of thousands of Ohioans continue to file new unemployment claims, although the pace has slowed in recent weeks. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Thursday that 61,083 claims were filed in the last week, down from 92,920 the previous week.
Total jobless claims in the state have now exceeded 1.1 million over the last seven weeks, narrowly eclipsing the combined total for the last three years. The state has distributed more than $1.9 billion to about 536,000 Ohioans.
The state, however, has been plagued by problems with its online system and long delays in getting through to a significantly beefed up call center.
The Block News Alliance consists of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Blade of Toledo, Ohio, and television station WDRB in Louisville, Ky. Jim Provance and Liz Skalka are reporters for The Blade.
First Published: May 7, 2020, 11:42 p.m.
