Ohio is opening up. Ohioans can once again dine at their favorite restaurants. Now, even more of Ohio is opening up. Sports facilities and banquet halls are opening soon. But there are a lot of new rules. On the other side of the coin, sad news about the Ohio State Fair. There will be no fair in 2020.
Let’s check out the latest announcements from Governor Mike DeWine.
Sports facilities
Starting May 26, the following facilities are allowed to reopen:
- Miniature golf
- Batting cages
- Bowling alleys
In addition, skills training for sports may also resume on May 26. This includes practice for contact sports. Tournaments, games, competitions for contact sports are still prohibited.
Sports Practice Rules
- All participants, spectators, and employees must adhere to six-foot physical distancing while at the facility/course.
- Must conduct daily symptom assessments by coaches and players (self-evaluation). Anyone experiencing symptoms must stay home.
- No team water coolers or shared drinking stations.
- Compliant game balls must be designated to each team for use while that team is playing defense.
- Prior to competitive tournaments, event owners must alert the local health department of the event.
- These requirements must be shared prior to the event with all players, coaches, spectators, officials, and employees prior to their arrival at the venue
Rules For Participants
- Â Players and coaches must adhere to physical six-foot distancing except when the ball is in play.
- Â Coaches must wear face coverings at all times.
- Â Athletes must wear face coverings at all times while not actively participating in the field of play.
- Must conduct daily symptom assessments by coaches and players (self-evaluation). Anyone experiencing symptoms must stay home.
- No team water coolers or shared drinking stations.
Catering Centers Reopen
Good news for people with a wedding scheduled for the summer: Catering centers and banquet halls may reopen on June 1. The following restrictions apply:
- Six feet between tables
- No congregating
- People must remain seated
- No dance floor
- Crowd size limited to 300
Ohio State Fair Cancelled
The Ohio State Fair is canceled for 2020. In a statement, the Fair Board said,
The Ohio State Fair’s management team, as well as the Ohio Expositions Commission, have been carefully evaluating all available information from state and local health officials, as well as the financial feasibility of a reduced capacity fair, over the last several weeks. Today, the Ohio Expositions Commission voted to cancel the Ohio State Fair in effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the Fair for future generations.
The Fair Board said they planned to celebrate from a distance by offering a collection of digital educational content and share favorite memories on social media.
More information about the digital content will be made available within the next few weeks.
