Health and Safety Are the Priority, But
Re-Opening Ohio a Close Second
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over a month since Governor Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in Ohio due to the coronavirus. For many people, particularly the small business owners who have closed their doors and the employees who are suddenly out of work, it seems more like an eternity. Unquestionably, the health and safety of our friends, family, and neighbors should be and is our number one priority. But now, as the data begins to show that the state’s aggressive measures may be paying off and the “flattening of the curve” continues, I believe we should consider slowly re-opening our state based on each region’s individual situation. We should put measures into place to allow businesses to reopen while also maintaining the social distancing policies that appear to be working. Local health departments can assist with these decisions based on the current state of the virus in their counties. Smaller rural areas and areas with very few cases may be able to open sooner because the virus is not as prevalent.
While restaurants have attempted to adjust by temporarily offering carryout and delivery services, this is not a sustainable business model for most establishments. Locally owned mom and pop restaurants have been hit the hardest. The state should consider slowly reopening these restaurants while still enforcing social distancing. Some options are requiring that dining tables be spread apart, limiting the number of diners in the restaurant at any given time, taking patrons temperatures, and requiring additional cleaning and personal protective equipment to be worn by the staff. These are just a few examples of things we can do in the short term to allow people to slowly phase back into work while not jeopardizing the health and wellness of our communities.
If you had asked anyone a year ago what the biggest story of 2020 would be, you’d be hard pressed to find a single person who would say a new virus that shut down the world economy. Restarting businesses and the economy is more complicated and will take longer, which is why I think we should consider slowly re-opening businesses. Several weeks ago, I partnered with local business owners and community leaders to engage in a campaign to ensure that residents knew which restaurants in our community were still open and offering carryout or delivery services. This effort can only go so far because, as people remain out of work, their ability to spend money at these restaurants will diminish, and our economy will continue to suffer as a result.
This is one of the most challenging periods in several generations in terms of health, wellness, and economic stability. With at least a couple of weeks yet to go before our mandatory shutdown is lifted, I think it’s time we consider a gradual re-opening of businesses sooner rather than later. We can still ensure adherence to some level of social distancing as part of the plan until a treatment can be realized. I believe we must act and soon. If we do not, I fear some of these small businesses -some of whom have been in business for generations- may never come back, which would be another of the many tragedies of the coronavirus outbreak.
Mark Romanchuk
State Representative
