CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — During a press conference on Thursday, Gov. Mike DeWine unveiled a four-level alert system for the coronavirus pandemic.
RELATED: Ohio creates color-coded public health alert system to monitor COVID-19 spread across each county
The governor announced that Cuyahoga County was one of seven counties in the state to be rated at a level three.
Cuyahoga County had four out of seven indicators including new cases per capita, increases in new cases, an increase in emergency room visits, and increases in outpatient visits.
"While many of Cuyahoga County’s cases during the last two weeks have been within congregate settings, it still has a growing number of cases, outside of those settings, indicating that the risk of continued community transmission is high," DeWine said.
A level three alert means a county has triggered four or five of the seven indicators, and there is very high exposure and spread.
The governor said if your county is under a level three, you should limit activities as much as possible and wear a mask when you go outside.
The seven indicators are:
- New cases per capita.
- Sustained increase in new cases.
- Proportion of cases that are non congregate cases.
- Sustained increase in emergency room visits.
- Sustained increase in outpatient visits.
- Sustained increase in new COVID-19 hospitalizations.
- Intensive Care Unit bed occupancy.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Read our daily Coronavirus Live Blog for the latest updates and news on coronavirus.
Rebound Northeast Ohio News 5's initiative to help people through the financial impact of the coronavirus by offering one place to go for information on everything available to help and how to access it. We're providing resources on:
Getting Back to Work - Learn about the latest job openings, how to file for benefits and succeed in the job market.
Making Ends Meet - Find help on topics from rent to food to new belt-tightening techniques.
Managing the Stress - Feeling isolated or frustrated? Learn ways to connect with people virtually, get counseling or manage your stress.
Doing What's Right - Keep track of the way people are spending your tax dollars and treating your community.
We're Open! Northeast Ohio is place created by News 5 to open us up to new ways of thinking, new ways of gathering and new ways of supporting each other.
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.
See data visualizations showing the impact of coronavirus in Ohio, including county-by-county maps, charts showing the spread of the disease, and more.
The federal government has begun distributing $1,200 Economic Impact Payments to millions of Americans to help relieve the economic burden caused by coronavirus. Click here for everything you need to know about checking the status and receiving these payments.
The CDC and the Ohio Department of Health are now recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Read more about the CDC's recommendation here. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a face maskfrom common household materials, without having to know how to sew.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.