Rep Kent Smith with a COVID-19 update from Columbus

Much like many of you, I have been trying to figure out, on a daily basis, how to best do my job, while not being at my job site. That being said, I wanted to provide an update on the potential reopening the Ohio economy.

Governor DeWine has signaled that he would like to start reopening the Ohio economy on May 1st.  If Ohio reopens too soon, lives will be needlessly lost and Ohio’s economy will plummet to even greater depths.  In short, we need many more Coronavirus tests to ensure Ohioan safety.

It is helpful to be reminded of the significant size of Ohio’s economy.  According to the Gross Domestic Product From Ohio report (Jan 2020), the Buckeye State has the 7th largest economy in the nation.  The backbone of Ohio’s economy is the third largest manufacturing sector in the US behind only California and Texas.

While some can socially distance at work, assembly line jobs bring Ohioans close together.  In the midst of a public health crisis, that proximity could jeopardize the entire plant.  When there is an extremely contagious virus in the air, it can kill workers and close plants.  The Smithfield pork plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota has seen over 600 people connected to the plant test positive for COVID-19 as a result of its close working environment.

We have learned that individuals without symptoms can pass the disease to others.  Therefore, we need to be able to test every working Ohioan weekly to ensure that we are not poisoning our workforce. 

The lessons of workplace density can also apply to Ohio’s largest counties. According to the GDP report, six large Ohio counties (in order - Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Summit, Montgomery and Lucas) contribute 53% of Ohio’s economy.  If these workers are sidelined, you risk their lives and Ohio’s livelihood.  Northeast Ohio counties Lorain and Lake rank 9th and 10th in the state.  Greene County, home of Governor DeWine, contributes only 1.45% of the state GDP.

We all want to get back to work, but nobody wants to die while trying to make a living.

State Representative Kent Smith represents Ohio’s 8th House District which includes Euclid, Beachwood, East Cleveland, Richmond Heights, South Euclid, Woodmere Village and a little bit of the City of Cleveland