Ohio Department of Health director Amy Acton said the issue of some sick Ohioans visiting clinics inside grocery stories is “a work in progress.”
Acton and Governor Mike DeWine addressed the subject during Friday’s coronavirus briefing at the Statehouse in Columbus. Acton said that although having sick Ohioans in public stores is an issue, those clinics are the only accessible health care option for some.
“We have to remember that for some folks this is their primary care,” Acton said. “But I have heard that some of the in-house pharmacies and clinics are actually putting out guidance to the patients about being able to do it through tele-medicine … We also have to be so careful to not create a barrier to access to care, especially for folks who have nothing else.”
DeWine commented on the issue as well, broadly noting that he expects people in the state to begin wearing protective gear while out in public.
“I think more and more of our fellow Ohioans who decide to go out, when they go out to get groceries, when they go out to the pharmacy, I think you’re going to start seeing a lot more protection on," he said. "And I think that’s probably a good thing.”
DeWine also noted that most masks do not provide complete protection against coronavirus.
