Hamilton County public health officials are reminding people not to relax when it comes to taking precautions against the spread of the coronavirus. A spike in positive COVID-19 cases identified last week continues to rise.
The Hamilton County Commission will likely vote Thursday to use $2 million from the county's transient occupancy tax (hotel/motel tax) fund to begin marketing the area for tourism. Another $2 million will come from funding the county received from the Congressional CARES Act.
A federal judge ruled this week the Metropolitan Sewer District must follow Hamilton County's plan for the second phase of projects that are part of a federal consent decree to reduce sewer overflows into streams and rivers.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state will ramp up COVID-19 testing capacity this month, and Interim Hamilton County Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman said Friday that's good news. Kesterman said the county will now be able to test people with mild to moderate symptoms who weren't being checked before.
Kate Schroder of Clifton easily defeated Nikki Foster of Warren County in Ohio's 1st Congressional District, setting up a general election race against Republican incumbent Steve Chabot, who has held the seat for the better part of a quarter century.
As expected, Hamilton County officials, for now, will not be able to use nearly $143 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help plug a revenue shortfall.
Hamilton County departments and elected officials have found ways to cut $20 million to $30 million so far from this year's budget. That's about half of the projected shortfall from the coronavirus pandemic.
Local health departments in Ohio are still waiting on guidelines from the state on what businesses can reopen May 1, and what additional safety measures they'll need to implement.
Hamilton County is preparing plans to close a projected $40 to $60 million budget deficit because of the coronavirus pandemic. It will include furloughs for county employees, but officials are not ready to say how many jobs will be impacted.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to increase in Hamilton County. But County Commission President Denise Driehaus said Friday those numbers are below what had been projected, and the curve that state officials have been talking about is flattening.
