Gov. Mike DeWine made the rounds on national media and at home Sunday as he expanded Ohio’s aggressive response to COVID-19, or novel coronavirus.

Sunday afternoon, the governor announced that Ohio’s bars and restaurants would shut at 9 p.m., for an indefinite time. Carryout and delivery will be allowed.

At his side as he addresses the state daily is state Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, who has Mahoning Valley ties. It was Acton who last week issued an order banning gatherings of more than 100 people.

The governor said their goal is virus containment. “Our goal is for everyone to get through this. Our wish is that next St. Patrick’s Day, everyone will be there,” he said.

DeWine said he recognizes the impact on businesses and the economy — but the more delay, “the more people will die.”

He said this “very drastic action” was prompted by concerns from around the state about crowded bars:

“It will be in effect as long as it needs to,” he said.

LOCAL EATERIES

Local restaurants were working on plans Sunday evening to begin adjusting.

Joe Rzonsa of Blue Wolf Tavern in Boardman said the restaurant already has a sizeable carryout service. That menu will be expanded this week and as long as necessary to serve customers.

He said like most restaurants there will be a transitioning to all carryout where customers will simply need to drive up. There are also plans for delivery service within the local area.

“We understand many people enjoy dining here but we will do what we can to provide them the meals they enjoy. I believe with the carryout we will be able to triple our service,” Rzonsa said.

He said he also wants to be able to continue helping the employees by placing them with the carryout.

John Kouvas, owner of both The Chophouse and Red Plum Pizza and Pasta in Howland, said both businessses will stay open with regular hours — only offering takeout at both locations with delivery available at Red Plum.

“We want to keep the doors open and help our community and also help our employees, keeping them working,” Kouvas said.

Dimitris Fournaris, general manager of The Chophouse, said $1 will be donated to the employee fund for every pizza and pasta sold at Red Plum and for every entree sold at The Chophouse. “We hope this does not last more than a week or two. We have been discussing plans on what we will need to do. We want to do what we can for our employees,” he said.

John Mahan, co-owner of the Sunrise Inn in Warren, said while the restaurant will not have any dining in there will carryout available with the current regular business menu. He said staff that had done more work with customers in the restaurant will be assigned to helping with taking carryout orders of the pizza, wings and other items.

“This is a matter of adjusting. The governor has decided for us what we need to do. There will be no bar and no eating in the restaurant until further notice which could be, who knows, through this week or Christmas. We will be going to all carryout,” he said.

Mahan said he spoke with Ken Haidaris, president of Sunrise Entertainment, who has spoken to other restaurant owners who are concerned since they are not set up for carryout.

“We will be OK since we have carryout, but other places that don’t have this option this could really hurt them,” Mahan said.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said an executive order would be signed to enable workers who do not have paid leave benefits to access unemployment compensation during the emergency. Others steps would help bar and restaurant owners return liquor purchased for holiday or sporting events and to allow businesses and nonprofits help through disaster loans, he said.

MORE CASES

As DeWine spoke to the state on Sunday, the state listed 37 confirmed Ohio cases, including two in Trumbull County and 361 people under investigation. The number of counties with cases was 11.

The breakdown at the time was: Belmont 2, Butler 6, Cuyahoga 14, Franklin 3, Lorain 2, Lucas 1, Medina 1, Stark 3 , Summit 2, Trumbull 2, Tuscarawas 1.

The Trumbull County patients are a 53-year-old woman with no travel history to an infected region, being treated at a hospital in Cleveland. According to the county health department, the woman was not in contact with Trumbull County’s other confirmed case, 55-year-old Kevin Harris of Warren, at St. Joseph Warren Hospital.

There were no confirmed cases reported for Mahoning County. But Springfield Local Schools in New Middletown will be closed today through April 3. A substitute teacher who was in the intermediate and high school last week had contact with someone who has now tested positive for the coronavirus.

Superintendent Thomas Yazvac spoke with the county health commissioner and was assured that from the timing of the substitute having contact with this individual, there was no risk to the substitute or to any of our students and staff, the district’s website states.

Also Sunday, Kent State University announced an employee had been in close proximity to a person who tested positive, and the worker is now in isolation for 14 days and is being tested. Over the last two days, this employee performed maintenance work in some residence halls and university buildings. Those who were in contact with this person have been directed to self-isolate for 14 days.

Pennsylvania’s new coronavirus cases jumped by 16 to a total of 63 on Sunday, with no cases reported in Mercer or Lawrence counties.

Groups have to be broken up and people have to be distanced or Ohio’s health care system “will not hold up,” DeWine warned.

INDICATIONS

There were indications earlier Sunday that the closing of bars and eateries was coming.

Ohio is one of several states that have closed schools. The state has also restricted access to nursing homes and prisons.

“All the people I’ve been consulting … they say every day counts so much, you cannot wait. You’ve got to move very, very quickly,” DeWine said. “These are tough decisions. We are inconveniencing people, it’s making people’s lives change, but … everything we’re doing is to save lives.”

DeWine also said Sunday, in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” that school shutdowns may stretch into the rest of the year. On Thursday he became the first governor in the country to announce that all public and private schools would close for three weeks or more.

DeWine explained that while students may not be as hard hit by the virus, they could act as carriers and infect more vulnerable members of society, such as grandparents or parents with underlying conditions.

“Look, the projections … this may not peak until the latter part of April or May,” he said. “So we’ve informed the superintendents … that the odds are this is going to go on a lot longer and it would not surprise me at all if schools did not open again this [school] year.”

DR. AMY ACTON

Acton on Sunday emphasized current cases are “the tip of the iceberg” and painted a sobering picture of impacts on hospital beds, ventilators and caregivers. There have been no reported deaths in the state.

She was appointed director of health by DeWine in February 2019 and her rise to such a position was atypical.

Her childhood with her mother was nomadic, at one point living in California, then Nebraska, and then in her pre-teens in a tent in a campground outside Youngstown, she told The Vindicator in August 2019.

She finally moved in with her dad and his relatives, and in that stability eventually would become the 1984 Liberty homecoming queen.

DeWine was asked about her at the time, as he visited the former Vindicator newsroom in Youngstown. His response: “She’s special, isn’t she?”

Acton earned her medical degree from Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine and completed her internship and residency training in pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. She also completed residency training in preventive medicine at Ohio State University.

A licensed physician in preventive medicine with a master’s degree from OSU in public health, she has more than 30 years of experience in medical practice, government and community service, healthcare policy and advocacy, academic and nonprofit administration, consulting, teaching, and data analysis.