Stark County residents can expect fewer businesses requiring them to wear masks or socially distance starting next month.
Places like Jerzee s All-American Sports Grille, Gervasi Vineyard and Powerhouse Gym said they will not enforce mask-wearing or social distancing requirements after state health orders end on June 2.
But not every business will be dropping the requirements.
Giant Eagle has plans to ask customers to wear masks
Giant Eagle, the supermarket chain with more than 410 locations in five states including several in Stark County, said it has no plans to stop requiring customers and employees to wear masks. At Giant Eagle, the health and wellbeing of our Team Members and guests remains our top priority. As we actively evaluate the shifts in state and CDC guidance, we will continue to require anyone working or shopping in our stores to wear a mask or face covering, the company based in the Pittsburgh area said in a statement.
Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday morning asked Ohio providers to hold off on using the vaccine.
Ohio had provided the Johson & Johnson vaccine to college campuses in an effort to vaccine students before summer break, according to a news release from the university.
The news release urged students to make vaccine appointments elsewhere.
The Stark County Health Department and Kent State will still hold a vaccine clinic for students at Kent s Stark and Tuscarawas County campuses April 19 at the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities Whipple-Dale Centre.
The clinic will offer the Pfzier vaccine,
All Kent Start students, faculty, staff, and their families can register for the clinic online.
CANTON – Christ Presbyterian Church has plans underway to serve as a site for a pop-up vaccine clinic.
The downtown church has not set a specific date for the clinic because the Ohio Department of Health does not notify providers until a week prior to distribution; however, organizers say they d like to have people registered and ready.
Registrations will be accepted on April 10 by calling the church office at 330-456-8113 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. only.
The planning process has been an exercise in strategy and a little frustration because churches seem to be an ideal place to conduct such a clinic, the organizers say.
In early December, the Canton Police Department had as many as 16 officers out due to COVID.
And so far in 2021, only one Canton police officer out of the 169 in the department (plus another 53 other city police employees) has been able to get a dose of the vaccine, Chief Jack Angelo said. The one who did was on a waiting list in another county.
Ohio last month decided not to follow federal recommendations to make police officers an immediate vaccination priority, dashing Angelo s hopes of getting his police force inoculated quickly.
With police officers regularly being off sick and higher crime levels, Angelo fears officers forced to work extended hours could burn out. He said he can t put more than one officer in a squad car until the officer and their partner are vaccinated.