TOLEDO, Ohio — As some sectors reopen in Ohio amid the coronavirus crisis, others could be on the verge of tightened restrictions.
And while everyone's eyes are set on Nov., Wood and Hancock counties are gearing up for a special election on Aug. 4. As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in the state, extra precautions are being taken at the polls.
Here's a breakdown of what was discussed on the July 20 episode of Afternoon Tea:
OHIO NURSING HOMES ALLOW OUTDOOR VISITATION
On Monday Ohio nursing homes were able to allow visitors once again, but only in outdoor settings.
Since March, visits were separated by glass, or a phone call had to suffice.
On June 29, Gov. Mike DeWine said that all nursing homes that meet the state-required safety standards could begin outdoor visitation on July 20.
When assessing their readiness to permit outdoor visitation, DeWine said that nursing homes should consider:
- Case status in the surrounding community
- Case status in the nursing home
- Staffing levels
- Access to adequate testing for residents and staff
- Personal protective equipment supplies
- Local hospital capacity
But, it's important to remember that not all nursing homes will be ready or able to get this going by Monday. Visitors should call their specific facility to see what their plan is.
And, I get it, us young people hate making phone calls, but do it for grandma. She deserves it.
OHIO COULD SEE NEW ORDERS THIS WEEK
As more and more Ohio counties go into level red of the public health advisory system, mask mandates are becoming fairly common across the state.
DeWine said during an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press, that a statewide mask mandate isn't out of the question.
DeWine also commented that more orders will be announced this week. These comments were made while he was laying out a phone call he had with health departments about the spread of the virus.
"It’s occurring in bars," DeWine said. "It’s occurring in churches. It’s occurring from people who have traveled out of state. But a lot of it, frankly, is just people in casual settings: 20, 30, 40, 50 people gathering together. So it’s not all about orders. Orders are important. But it’s also about getting people to understand this is very, very serious. Now, while we did a great job early on in Ohio, we are now headed in the wrong direction. Frankly, I’m very, very concerned about that. We’re going to move ahead with orders. You’re going to see more orders from us this week, but I again want to emphasize it’s not all about orders. You’ve got to get people to come along with you as you do this.”
Additionally, us stubborn Ohioans were found to be the ninth least cooperative when it comes to masks in the country. The list, put together following a study done by "Survival At Home," is as follows:
- Arizona
- Nevada
- Florida
- Idaho
- Maine
- Missouri
- Wyoming
- South Carolina
- Ohio
- Montana
The study was conducted over the last 30 days by compiling more than 150,000 geotagged Twitter posts that referenced hashtags like "#nomask," "#burnyourmask" and "#iwillnotcomply."
VOTING DURING A PANDEMIC
A few Ohio counties will be hosting a special election on Aug. 4, including Wood and Hancock locally, but this is something we should all pay attention to, because these counties seem to be using it as a trial for the big Nov. election.
So, what will voting look like?
COVID-19 procedures
Both Hancock and Wood have similar procedures in place, with no real surprises on the horizon.
- Poll workers will be provided with PPE and given ample time for breaks so they can get some fresh air.
- Voters will also be asked to wear masks, if possible, although people won’t be turned away if they aren’t wearing one.
- People will be asked to keep six feet of distance while waiting in line.
And of course, a number of cleaning protocols will be in place; like wiping down the machines between each use and having hand sanitizers and hand wipes readily available, you know the drill. It’s the same thing when you go to Walmart or Chipotle, or wherever else you most enjoy waiting in line.
But what about those polling locations used by high risk populations?
Polling location changes
The August election is small, so it isn’t much of an issue right now, but come November, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is calling on counties to relocate polling spots at places like nursing homes and health care facilities, pointing toward places like schools instead.
But, this also means residents of these facilities may not have the same voting options they’re used to, and it’s up to each county’s board of elections to address these concerns in the best way for their communities.
And let’s say you are immunocompromised or maybe just don’t feel comfortable voting in person during a pandemic – what then?
Absentee voting
Well, you can always vote absentee! The term mail-in voting has become more popular during the pandemic, but it’s really just the same as sending in an absentee ballot, which people have already been doing for years.
Here’s how it works:
First, you need to request your absentee ballot. Go to the Vote Ohio website, print off your ballot request, fill out the form, sign it and send it off to your local county board of elections.
Then, you have to wait…
And when you finally get that fresh, hot ballot in your mailbox, what do you do? Well, by golly, you fill that out and mail it in too! Groundbreaking.
If you are a procrastinator, or just don’t feel like blowing money on stamps, most BOE’s have a dropbox for you to put your ballot in.
But if you are going the mail route, there are some important things to know.
The return envelope with your ballot tucked inside must be received by the board elections by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day or postmarked by the day before Election Day.
If you postmarked it for the day before, it has to get there no later than 10 days after the election, so if you want your vote counted, make sure you knock this out with plenty of time.
NO-BAKE CABINET COOKIES
I call these "cabinet cookies" because I made up this recipe from items I found in my cabinet and they somehow turned out incredible.
If you love chocolate and hate taking a lot of time to make things, this is for you, my friend.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (you're always supposed to use no salt in baking, but I love the extra sodium and hate buying two types of butter so I use regular, salted butter.)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (or any kind of milk, really)
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 packet of Swiss Miss hot chocolate powder (if it has marshmallows, even better!)
- 1/2 cup of sunflower seed butter (or peanut butter, almond butter, any kind of nutty butter)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla (optional)
- 3 cups of rolled oats
- However many chocolate chips looks good to you.
Assembly
Dump your butter, coconut milk, Swiss Miss and sugar and melt over medium high heat, stirring once the butter melts a bit. Once it starts to boil, let it go for about two minutes, then take it off the heat.
Add vanilla, sunflower seed (or whatever) butter, chocolate chips and oats and mix it all up until it is thoroughly combined.
Using a cookie scoop (or a spoon, you don't have to be fancy) plop the dough onto a lined sheet pan. Flatten them to your desired shape and thickness.
Let cool at room temperature or pop them in the fridge until they become more solid.
And boom! That is it. You have a delicious treat from the random items I found in my cupboard. This is great recipe to experiment with so add whatever sounds good to you.
Do you have a story idea you'd like me to dive into? Let me know! Send an e-mail to jstrock@wtol.com.