Subsequently, records supported by further testing showed that undetected cases had existed in Ohio since early January, with the first confirmed death on March 17.

Cuyahoga, Clark and Hamilton County were on "watch" for declaration of a purple "public emergency" level, having met the criteria for one out of the two weeks required.

[78] In February, the Ohio Department of Health reported that it was reconciling death totals, which caused a fluctuation in numbers over several days.

[123] Prior to the state having any confirmed cases,[124] on March 3, DeWine made the decision to cancel the Arnold Classic, a move which The Washington Post noted as seeming "radical" at the time.

[132] Acton compared the small number of cases to "seeing a star and knowing that light is a moment from the deep past"[133] as she argued for Ohioans to take steps to prevent further infections that could overload the state's hospitals.

[150] On March 24 Jim Bridenstine announced that a number of NASA facilities would be moved to stage 4 where non-critical infrastructure is closed, including the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and the Plum Brook Station near Sandusky.

[154] On March 25, the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 197, which extended primary voting to April 28, banned water utilities from disconnecting service, and waived standardized testing for public schools.

[157] On April 2, Governor DeWine announced during his daily press conference that there was a new method to divide the state into hospital capacity regions.

[160] DeWine signed an executive order removing training requirements for mental health and marriage counselors to make telehealth visits more easily accessible.

[121][163] On April 15, DeWine announced that he had asked the Ohio Hospital Association to begin developing a plan to start treating people whose non-COVID-19 elective procedures were deferred or delayed.

[164] On April 16 DeWine announced that he would work closely with the Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to reopen the region's economy in a coordinated way.

[171] On June 18, DeWine expressed concern about a spike in cases in southwestern Ohio and suggested that people in 13 specific zip codes (within 5 counties: Hamilton, Montgomery, Greene, Warren, and Clark) should get tested.

"[216] While multiple media outlets praised DeWine and Acton's orders, a group of 75 protested the restrictions on nonessential workers outside the Statehouse during their April 9 press conference.

[220] Two men at the protest had a sign with anti-semitic imagery, showing a rat wearing a yarmulke and a Star of David with the caption, "The real plague.

The criminal charges include engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, complicity, terrorism, making terroristic threats, inducing panic, conspiracy, bribery, interfering with civil rights, coercion, and patient abuse or neglect.

"[230] The Ohio Democratic Party questioned whether Noem had followed "the guidance of Mike DeWine's health department" requiring self-quarantine for 14 days for visitors from states with high positivity.

DeWine, Acton, and Secretary of State Frank LaRose held an afternoon press conference on Monday, March 16 to cover precautions being taken for the next day's primary election.

"[242] Acting on behalf of a candidate for a Wood County Common Pleas judgeship, Corey Spiewak, Perrysburg attorney Andy Mayle filed a suit in the Ohio Supreme Court to overturn Acton's action.

[251] On September 9, trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center were put on hold because a UK participant developed an unexplained illness.

[256] The coronavirus pandemic affected abortion, employment, education, religion, the restaurant industry, sports, public transportation, and prisons in Ohio.

On March 17, after Acton issued an order prohibiting nonessential surgeries to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE),[257] DeWine said abortions should be included except when the pregnant woman's life is at risk.

[258] Deputy Attorney General Jonathan Fulkerson sent letters to three abortion providers to compel them to comply with the state ban on nonessential medical procedures.

District Court Judge Michael Barrett ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood on April 1, ordering a two-week suspension of the ban.

[265] On April 20, he ordered that all K-12 schools in the state remain closed for the rest of the 2019–2020 academic year [266] On May 6, Governor DeWine announced a $775 million budget reduction over the next two months.

[277] On May 19, Gwin ordered federal prison officials to begin the process of releasing eligible inmates at Elkton into home confinement for health and safety reasons.

Its public transit agency COTA began by introducing thorough cleaning measures, followed by reducing several rush-hour services on March 17.

On March 19, it suspended fare collection, making all rides temporarily free, and required passengers to board and depart buses from the rear doors.

Major League Baseball (MLB) cancelled the remainder of spring training on that date, and on March 16, they announced that the season will be postponed indefinitely, after the recommendations from the CDC to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, affecting the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds.

[293] In the National Hockey League (NHL), the season was suspended for an indefinite amount of time, affecting the Columbus Blue Jackets.

[299][300] On May 20, the Eldora Speedway owned by Tony Stewart, announced one of its largest events of the season would be rescheduled to June 2021 in accordance with the ongoing restrictions on mass gatherings and spectator sports at large venues.