CLEVELAND, Ohio - Sunday will mark two weeks since Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s restaurant-shutdown order went into effect to help combat the spread of coronavirus. Here are key details and stats from the news this week:
March 21: The number of confirmed cases reaches 247 in the state, including three dead.
March 22: DeWine and Ohio Dept. of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton order all Ohioians to stay home. Kentucky Republican Rand Paul tests positive. Paul - the first U.S. Senator to have coronavirus - draws criticism for his lack of initial self-quarantine.
March 23: DeWine asks his cabinet members to look for cuts of up to 20 percent in their budgets. Shelter-in-place become mandatory at 11:59 p.m. The Ohio Lottery Commission is listed as an essential business, sparking a debate between the need for revenue and the reality that many – including vulnerable populations – will venture out to buy tickets. Ohio stops reporting negative test results. And if you had never heard of Zoom, you have by now. The extremely popular group-video chat is helping people stay connected during the pandemic.
March 24: The state now has 564 cases in 49 of its 88 counties. Cuyahoga County has 167, which means 30 percent of the state’s cases are in Cleveland’s back yard. Ohio's peak is expected to come around May 1. President Trump announces an extension of the deadline to get a new federally compliant driver’s license eventually needed for airport-security checkpoints. A third of people 18-34 believe the coronavirus is not any deadlier than the flu. Playwright Terrence McNally, 81, dies of complications from the virus. And in a serious life-imitating-art moment, Dr. Ian Lipkin reveals he has the virus. Lipkin - director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University - was the medical adviser behind the 2011 pandemic movie "Contagion."
March 25: Ohio has 704 cases. The virus has no age discrimination: Its youngest patient in the state is 1; the oldest, 94. Walmart becomes the latest retailer to erect plexiglass shields at cashier stations. Giant Eagle and Acme Fresh Market also have done the same. It is reported that Prince Charles has the virus.
March 26: More than 187,000 Ohioans filed for unemployment benefits in the first week DeWine began closing businesses because of the crisis. The United States passes Italy and China as the nation with the most coronavirus cases, at 85,840.
March 27: Ohio’s number of confirmed cases surges to 1,137, with 330 in Cuyahoga County. Trump signs a $2 trillion stimulus package.
Previous coverage: Coronavirus timeline: Dec. 31, 2019 to March 20, 2020