Ohio defers workers' comp premiums 3 months as coronavirus pandemic continues; more deaths confirmed

By Carrie Ghose  – Staff reporter, Columbus Business First

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation will defer business premiums for the months of March, April and May – leaving $200 million to circulate in the state economy, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Saturday.

The payments are deferred to June 1, but the state could reassess before then as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, he said.

State officials understand the ripple effects on the economy and health when businesses are ordered to close to slow spread of the disease, said Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health.

“There is a cascading effect in the economy,” Husted said. “Businesses are going to suffer, and as a result so are their employees. We’re very mindful of that and always trying to seek a balance.”

The bureau has a resource page for injured workers during the pandemic here.

Also Saturday, the the Ohio Department of Transportation created a downloadable "blanket permit for haulers carrying heavy or oversized loads of food, non-alcoholic beverages, medical supplies, cleaning products and other household goods."

Two more deaths were confirmed in the state on Saturday, in Cuyahoga and Erie counties, adding to a Toledo attorney whose death was reported Friday.

The number of confirmed cases jumped to 247, 58 of them hospitalized. Testing still is catching up with pre-existing cases, and not catching every case of Covid-19 in the state. Because of limited supplies, testing is prioritized for at-risk or hospitalized patients, healthcare workers and first responders.

Ohioans should assume the virus has "infiltrated across our state," DeWine said.

“(The numbers) are not telling the full data and full story of what’s happening here,” Acton said. “We’re seeing a snapshot of the past.”

DeWine said to expect more public health orders on Monday. Ohio has been under a state of emergency since March 14.

“This enemy cannot move without our help,” DeWine said. “We have to do everything we can to defeat it.
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"We can’t have any regular Saturday mornings for a while, just like we can’t have regular Saturday nights.”

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