On April 27, 2020, members of the Ohio House of Representatives released the Open Ohio Responsibly Framework. This framework contains recommended guidelines for opening Ohio businesses beginning on or before May 1, 2020, after weeks of business closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three fundamental principles behind the framework are: (1) due to Ohio’s successfully “flattening the curve,” hospitals are no longer at risk of being overwhelmed; (2) “all businesses in Ohio are essential”; and (3) Ohioans should be trusted to make their own decisions, which includes respecting the decisions of businesses that choose to remain closed. The intent behind the Framework is to work in conjunction with the governor’s “Strategic Guidelines for Implementation” and “provide Ohioans more personal control over their local epidemic prevention actions.”

Guidelines included within the Framework include those that are now familiar to Ohioans, Americans, and the world. They include the continuation of practicing social distancing, as well as remaining home if you have a fever, are elderly with an underlying health condition, or are otherwise “more susceptible” to suffering significant health problems from catching the COVID-19 virus.

The Framework was signed by several Republican members of the Ohio House of Representatives and was issued the same day as the much-anticipated plan by Governor Mike DeWine for re-opening Ohio.