Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to give an update on the status of the Coronavirus response in Ohio.

CASE DATA & UPCOMING HOLIDAY
New data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) shows that 98 more deaths were reported in the past 24 hours which is the second-highest number of deaths reported in a single day in Ohio since the start of the pandemic.

OHIO POSITIVITY RATE & TRAVEL
Ohio's positivity rate, which is the daily percentage of positive tests reported to ODH, has reached 14 percent - just one percentage point shy of Ohio's travel advisory warning level of 15 percent.

BAR & RESTAURANT ASSISTANCE FUND
Lt. Governor Husted announced that less than half of the eligible permit holders have submitted an application for the Bar and Restaurant Assistance Fund.

$5 BILLION DIVIDEND FOR OHIO EMPLOYERS
At the urging of Governor DeWine, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) board voted unanimously to approve issuing $5 billion in dividends to Ohio's employers in mid-December to ease the financial pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This is nearly four times the dividend BWC issued in October, bringing total dividends this year to nearly $8 billion. Employers should expect to see their checks in the mail in mid-December.

OHIO TO WORK
In September, a new initiative was announced in collaboration with JobsOhio called "Ohio to Work," to help Ohioans who are looking for a job during the pandemic. The initiative pulls together employers, nonprofits, educators, and training providers to help Ohioans re-skill and restart their careers.

CURRENT CASE DATA
In total, there are 371,908 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and 6,118 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths.