Coronavirus: Guidelines on schools to be released in the next few days, DeWine says

Guidelines about how schools can operate safely this fall should be released in the next 10 days, Gov. Mike DeWine said.

The guidelines will be flexible and allow local schools districts to make the best decisions for their schools and facilities.

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The coronavirus infection rate has dropped below 1 after numbers reported earlier this month showed the region with the highest rate in Ohio.

The data, which goes back to June 7, shows the Dayton region with a basic reproduction number of 0.95, said Gov. Mike DeWine.

The basic reproduction number, also known as R naught, measures on average how many people a person infected with a coronavirus is spreading it to.

An R naught number of 0.95 indicates that a person with the virus is infecting 0.95 people.

Southwest and southeast Ohio both had an R naught number of 1, the highest in the state.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has identified at least 3,000 cases of fraud and fake unemployment claims during the coronavrirus pandemic, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.

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In one of the most widespread scams, criminals are filing fake claims on behalf of actual people who have not lost their jobs and are hitting one state after another, Husted said.

People are also receiving official-looking notices in the mail claiming a person has been overpaid in stimulus or unemployment benefits and need to return the money immediately.

Anyone who receives information about a fake unemployment claim should immediately contact ODJFS.

Today marked the first day that the state had to borrow money to meet unemployment, DeWine said.

The state requested $3.1 billion in borrowing authority from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The amount exceeds what the state thinks it will need to pay out benefits, the governor said.

Other states, including California and Texas, have also had to borrow money to cover unemployment insurance obligation, he added.

A pop-up testing center will be in Xenia on June 24, announced DeWine.

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The testing center will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Greene County Health Center, 360 Wilson Drive, Dayton. The test will be provided at no cost.

Last week, DeWine announced that testing is available to anyone interested in being tested and that a doctor’s order is no longer needed.

There have been 42,010 total cases of coronavrius and 2,597 deaths attributed to the virus in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

The agency is reporting 38,911 confirmed cases and 2,362 confirmed deaths.

Throughout the pandemic, 7,007 hospitalizations and 1,784 ICU admissions were reported in the state.

Last week, Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton announced her resignation. She will continue to serve the state as the governor’s chief health advisor.

Lance Himes will serve as the interim director until a new director is named.

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