Ohioans Ordered to Stay Home

In an order announced on Sunday, March 22, Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton announced a stay at home order effective Monday, March 23 at 11:59 PM through April 6. At that time, the order will be re-evaluated. Residents will be permitted to seek healthcare, obtain supplies (such as groceries and cleaning supplies), pursue outdoor activities, and take care of others. The full order and additional information can be found by visiting the Ohio Department of Health website. For more information on identifying employers that are considered “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers”, visit the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s site at https://www.cisa.gov/identifying-critical-infrastructure-during-covid-19.

In addition to the Stay at Home Order, other Ohio State Updates include:

• Daycares: The Governor ordered that all day-care centers must have a temporary pandemic day-care license, limit the use of shared spaces, ensure rigorous cleaning schedules, and have no more than six children per room. This order takes effect Thursday, March 26 through at least April 30.
• Standardized Testing: The Governor will be requesting that the legislature cancel all state-mandated testing of primary school students.
• Unemployment: Ohio Job and Family Services has updated information regarding unemployment benefits. Employees and employers can visit http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/CoronavirusAndUI.stm for more information. As of March 23, all updates are noted in red italics.
• Layoff Paperwork: Employers should provide all employees who are laid off as a result of COVID-19 with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Mass Layoff Instruction Sheet, which can be found at http://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/forms/num/JFS00671/pdf/.
• Mental Health: For those struggling with mental health during the crisis, the Ohio Department of Health has released resources including a disaster distress helpline. For more information, visit https://mha.ohio.gov/Health-Professionals/About-Mental-Health-and-Addiction-Treatment/Emergency-Preparedness/Coronavirus.
• Job Search: Job seekers are encouraged to visit the Ohio Means Jobs search page at https://jobs.ohiomeansjobs.monster.com/Search.aspx?pg=1&rad=20&rad_units=miles&sid=68.
• Other Resources: Other resources for Ohio adults, including in-home physical fitness activities, healthy habits can be found at Ohio Department of Health Resources for Coping with COVID.
• More Information: For more information about Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.

During this time, the Youngstown, Alliance, and Columbus Ohio offices of HBK^® CPAs Consultants remain available to support our clients. Please contact us through email or by voicemail on our office telephone lines. We will return your call promptly. For more information regarding firm operations, please contact us or read our letter from our CEO, Chris Allegretti.

If you have questions or would like to discuss COVID-19’s effect on you or your business, contact a member of the HBK CPAs & Consultants team.