CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine outlined what reopening the state will look like during Monday’s briefing.
The three-phase plan includes getting people back to work in fields including health care, construction, manufacturing, offices and retail. Phase 1 begins May 1 and includes health care workers, allowing all medical procedures that don’t require an overnight hospital stay.
Dentists and veterinarians can also return to work. A week from Monday, May 4, manufacturing, distribution and construction will be allowed to resume. All employees and clients will be required to follow safety practices, including wearing masks, conducting daily health assessments and having a limited capacity of 50% of the businesses' fire code.
General office buildings will be allowed to reopen on May 4. Companies are asked to have employees still work from home as much as possible. Consumer retail and services will be allowed to reopen on May 12. All employees and customers will be required to wear facial coverings.
But just because dentists are allowed to open back up, whether they actually can by Friday is a different story. It comes down to two main factors: Ohio Dental Board guidelines that haven’t been released yet and the amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) a practice has in stock.
“We have enough PPE that we could open up on Friday if need be,” said dentist Dr. William O’Conner.
However, Dr. O’Conner says that won’t be happening. He’ll likely reopen his practice of 35 years next week. Before that happens, he’ll meet with his staff to discuss the new way of business.
For dental offices, the biggest change will likely be the waiting room: There won’t be one anymore. You’ll likely wait in your car until you get a call to come in. but not before going through health screenings.
"Right now, it will just be temperature, but, at some point in time, it wouldn’t surprise me if we are doing the immediate insta-test for the COVID,” said Dr. Chuck Bell.
Dr. Bell and his brother have been operating their practice in Hyde Park since 1983.
“A lot of questions, maybe not a lot of answers right now,” said Bell.
For six weeks, dentists have only been able to do emergency visits for their patients. Most employees of offices have been furloughed too. Now, just as quickly as they were closed, they could be back open.
“It was thrust upon us very quickly when we had to close, and now it’s thrust upon us very quickly to reopen,” said Dr. O’Conner. “All the dentists had figured out that we’re going to be lacking in PPE when this happens.”
Whenever it does happen, it will look different. But Dr. Bell says all of this makes him think back to how he operated before the AIDS crisis. Everything changed, and now it’s just standard.
“That was a crisis, and we practiced differently afterwards. And I kind of liken this situation to that. In a few years from now, I will say, 'Oh, I can’t believe we used to practice without whatever it is.' It’ll just seem normal,” said Dr. Bell.
Bars, hair salons, restaurants, gyms and daycares will not be open at this time.
