COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine spent the bulk of Tuesday's COVID-19 briefing dealing with the reopening of schools in Ohio.
While there were no new orders issued, DeWine did go through a breakdown of districts across the state and how many are planning to return to in-person learning versus remote or hybrid model.
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According to DeWine, 325 districts in the state are planning to return to school full-time. That equates to about 590,000 public school students or 38 percent.
55 districts, mainly in urban areas like Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton counties, will be going with a fully remote model. That figure represents 398,000 public schools students or just over 25 percent.
154 districts or 24.5 percent (approximately 380,000 students) will be doing some form of hybrid schooling. DeWine added that there are 78 districts with information not readily available.
DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted were joined at Tuesday's COVID-19 briefing by three leading pediatricians across the state. Dr. John Barnard from Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus announced that of all the children who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, 8% have required hospital admission, 1% required ICU.
Dr. Barnard also stated that 17-year-olds seem to be contracting coronavirus at higher rates than their younger peers. "This could be because they are more likely to socialize with more people," he added.
Dr. Patty Manning from Cincinnati Children's Hospital laid out some guidelines for schools to keep students, teachers, and staff safe.
- Wear masks
- Practice social distancing
- Practice good hand hygiene
- Keep surfaces clean
- Ventilation is also very important. Teachers should try to open windows or teach outside if possible.