Joint Unified Command Center holds COVID-19 briefing

ZANESVILLE – This was the first meeting that has been held in three weeks. Zanesville – Muskingum County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Jack Butterfield acknowledged that there is some sort of community spread of the virus in all of Ohio’s 88 counties. He also spoke about how there’s no right or wrong answer for how schools will operate in the 2020-21 academic year. Some institutions may decide to even teach fully online.

“It is an individual decision with superintendents and the administration of each school. You know, laws will depend on the COVID-19 virus load in the school. We could see schools having to close and going to online so I think online teaching is here to stay to some level but it will become more magnified when schools close and they have to do online if the COVID virus gets into schools and results in large quarantines,” Butterfield said.

Local business owners Greg Orofino and Vincent Russo are trying to set examples of proper safety protocols in the community.

“There are a number of steps that the restaurant has taken with respect to creating out more space with customers to spread out, increased sanitation routines, wearing masks, putting up barriers and things of that nature just to ensure that people are protected from each other and that the staff is protected from staff so there is a lot of things in place and frankly I think that the response from the customers has been great,” Russo’s President Vincent Russo said.

Both business owners say they are taking necessary precautions to keep their staff and customers safe.