Cuyahoga County creates restaurant relief fund amidst rising COVID numbers

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Cuyahoga County Board of Health held a briefing Friday afternoon with updates on the status of COVID-19 in the county. The county is now on the watchlist for becoming a Purple Risk Level 4.

Health officials said there had been 600 cases over the last week and more than 700 deaths to date. The numbers far surpass the previous peak in July. There was an average of 500 cases during November compared to 100 cases the entire month of November. “Remember, with each case, there’s two to three contacts for each case. So, these are very big numbers,” said Health Commissioner Terry Allen.

He said, “if you look among the counties that are purple most are in Northeast Ohio.”

In the virtual briefing, health officials warned the next week would show results of Thanksgiving and urged people to continue to stay home for the upcoming holidays. “If you’re going to be mixing with folks outside your household, you may be putting yourself and others at risk,” said Allen.

County Executive Armond Budish said the county is trying to bring relief to businesses and restaurants still impacted by the pandemic. The county has set aside 1.2 million dollars from the CARES Act for the Restaurant Stabilization fund. Restaurants can apply for grants up to 10 thousand dollars. “For those of us who’ve lost lives and businesses, those months have been devastating,” said Budish.

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