By: Bill O’Connell
The Fulton County Commissioners approved Resolution 2020-254 to adopt three Fulton County temporary policies made necessary by the State of Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The policies involved were Family Medical Leave Act, Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Teleworking. The Resolution was approved during the Board of County Commissioners’ telephonic session on April 21, 2020.
The timeline included the following: On January 23, 2020, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) issued a Director’s Journal Entry making COVID-19 a Class A reportable disease in Ohio.
On February 1, 2020 the ODH issued a statewide Health Alert Network to provide local health departments and healthcare providers with updated guidance for COVID-19 and revised Person Under Investigation (PUI) criteria. On February 13, 2020, the ODH conducted a Pandemic Tabletop Exercise with State agencies to review responsive actions should there be a pandemic in Ohio.
On March 9, 2020, testing by the ODH confirmed that three (3) patients were positive for COVID-19 in the State of Ohio, creating a potentially dangerous condition which could affect the health, safety and welfare of citizens of Ohio. Governor Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency for the entire State to protect the well-being of the citizens of Ohio from the dangerous effects of COVID-19.
Personnel of State Departments and agencies were necessary to coordinate the State response to COVID-19 and to assist in protecting the lives, safety and health of the citizens of Ohio and encourage social distancing.
On March 19, 2020 the Board of Fulton County Commissioners adopted a Resolution that declared that a state of emergency existed in the County because the County faced a public-health-related hazard arising from the spread, in and around the County, of COVID-19. All County buildings were closed to public access and social distancing was encouraged.
On March 23, 2020, the Director of the ODH issued an order accordingly, to avoid an imminent threat with a high probability of widespread exposure to COVID-19 with a significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of people in the general population, including the elderly and people with weakened immune systems and chronic medical conditions.
All persons were ordered to stay at home or their place of residence unless they were engaged in Essential Activities, Essential Government Functions or to operate Essential Businesses and Operations. This was known as the Stay-at-Home Order which remains in effect as of this writing.
Bill can be reached at publisher@hevillagereporter.com