COVID-19 Updates For Twinsburg – Updated 4.28.2020
Update – 4/28/2020
Everyone,
I wanted to provide the latest data in the County and some of the minor steps the City is taking following the Governor’s partial announcement of his reopening plan. Currently, the County has 542 confirmed cases with 218 hospitalizations and 43 deaths. Our information on local cases has been inconsistent, however based on zip code data we have between 21-30 cases. Below is a quick summary of the Governor’s orders:
May 1st: All medical procedures that don’t require an overnight hospital stay will be allowed. Dentists and veterinarians will also be allowed to reopen.
May 4th: Manufacturing, distribution, construction and general office buildings will be allowed to resume. All employees and clients will be required to follow safety practices, including wearing masks, conducting daily health assessments and a limited capacity of 50 percent of the businesses’ fire code.
May 12th: Consumer retail and services will be allowed to reopen. All employees and customers will be required to wear facial coverings.
As for the City, we have been in contact with RITA trying to forecast the next few months. Right now, we are expecting a significant reduction in our current income tax revenue. If this trend continues it will have a devastating impact on our entire budget for the City. Twinsburg is highly dependent on income tax revenue. 85% of our total revenue comes from income tax. Our hope is that our business sector will regain its strength following the COVID-19 pandemic. It is just difficult to predict when that will occur. I hope to provide more information and possible timeline to our displaced employees toward the end of next week.
We made the tough decision to cancel camp for this summer for the following reasons. We have approximately 200 campers each day, and with that large of a number, social distancing just isn’t possible. Some of the field trip locations will not be able to accommodate a camp this size under new regulations, while other locations are unsure of when, or if, they are reopening. The use of school buses is also extremely limited, as we would have to go down to one child per seat and every other row. Ultimately, the safety and health of campers and staff were our deciding factors. There is just no way that we could provide a safe, happy, playful camp while social distancing and with so many planned activities and events removed from the schedule. If circumstances change we can always look to plan something for the kids dependent on staffing levels and safety requirements.
I know we all love being outside and this desire to get out of our homes gets stronger as the weather becomes warmer. I have decided to slowly start opening some of our outside recreational activities.
On May 1st Gleneagles will be opening with strict adherence to the Governor’s guidelines for public golf course operation. Later today a more detailed description of the restrictions will be announced later today. I know it will be tough for our residents to stop walking/using the cart paths, but everyone knew this day would come.
Also on May 1st, the two tennis courts at Glenn Chamberlin Park and three of the Pickleball Courts at Glenmeadow Park will be open. There will be no one allowed on the courts except players and a maximum of 10 people outside the courts waiting to play. Please sanitize all equipment before and after playing and take all precautions to maintain social distancing.
There is still an order from the Governor to keep pools and playgrounds closed. I hope we get some direction on opening these activities in the near future.
Hang in there everyone, your patience and understanding are truly appreciated.
STAY SAFE AND STAY STRONG TWINSBURG!
Mayor Ted Yates