Ohio officials to announce pandemic relief for businesses

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — People struggling to pay rent, along with small businesses and nonprofits hurt by the pandemic and the weak economy, will learn details Friday about an aid package to help them.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and GOP legislative leaders House Speaker Bob Cupp and Senate President Larry Obhof planned an afternoon news conference to discuss details of the plan.

DeWine has previously acknowledged that people and businesses may need more help than the state can provide from its share of federal aid dollars. The governor has also said Ohio must balance the use of the federal pandemic aid dollars for such assistance while reserving money for coronavirus testing.

“We’re battling back, we’re doing things, but we still have a lot of people hurting and we need to give them some relief,” DeWine said on Oct. 6.

The news comes as Ohio experiences daily record-breaking numbers of coronavirus cases. The Health Department on Thursday reported 2,425 probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19, the second record high in as many days.

The state has reported more than 190,000 confirmed and probable cases to date, including 5,161 deaths.