During Ohio's coronavirus briefing Tuesday, a new program was announced to help senior citizens stay connected and get the help they need during this pandemic.

The Ohio Department of Aging is now offering a free, daily check-in by phone for Ohioans age 60 or older. This service can also connect them with aging network information and support.

Check-in calls will be made from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The senior citizen picks a time and can place a hold on these calls at any time.

Officials will make three attempts to call the person. When the person responds, the caller will confirm they are OK; there will also be an option to be transferred to learn more about aging services in the area. If the person does not answer after three tries, they will reach out to an alternate contact and notify local non-emergency services if needed. You can click here to learn more.

Efforts also continue to keep assisted living facilities and nursing homes safe. Since the middle of March, Maureen Corcoran, the director of the Department of Medicaid, has been working with a team to focus on particular issues that impact these facilities. There is an ongoing effort to have hospitals work with congregate living environments to help support them.

Corcoran says a toolkit has been made and is being adjusted as this pandemic changes. This includes regulatory relief to free up nursing homes and other providers to be able to devote more time to residents. Other aspects include the focus on keeping up with personal protective equipment and expanding testing prioritization. They've also set up individual strike teams, which includes officials from state and local health departments to make sure everyone has PPE and enough staff.

Corcoran added that health care isolation centers have been developed. These are nursing homes that have stepped up to be able to quarantine individuals to provide the extra care they may need.

During the briefing, Gov. Mike DeWine also announced that the Pandemic EBT plan was approved. This approval will allow the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to distribute SNAP benefits to 850,000 students across Ohio. These are children who relied on free or reduced-price meal programs when school was in session to have access to meals. The benefits will be mailed directly to students, and families don't need to apply to be eligible. Families will receive around $300 to buy food to feed their children.

When it comes to reopening Ohio, consumer and retail services reopened on Tuesday. 

On May 15, hair salons, barbershops, day spas and nail salons can reopen. Lt. Gov. Jon Husted added that massage, tattoo and piercing businesses will be allowed to reopen with the proper safety protocols on this same date.

Also on May 15, restaurants can restart outdoor dining. On May 21, they can start indoor dining following health guidelines.

When asked about swimming pool guidance and other summer activities, he says they hope to announce more Thursday. There will not be a DeWine COVID-19 update on Wednesday. 

When it comes to coronavirus cases and deaths, the state reported 473 new cases and 79 more deaths Tuesday.

Statewide, there are now 25,250 cases and 1,436 deaths.

 

Locally, Mahoning County reported eight new deaths. There are now 1,147 cases and 132 deaths total.

 

Columbiana County reported three new deaths. There are now 336 cases and 40 deaths.

 

Trumbull County reported one new death and four new cases. There's now a total of 414 cases and 36 deaths.