The City of Bowling Green and Mayor Mike Aspacher are actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation. Aspacher and city officials remain in close contact with health experts and will be following the guidance of the Ohio Department of Health and Wood County Health Department, as the situation continues to develop. 

In a news update on the city’s website, Aspacher reassured that “essential services” including emergency medical services, fire and police protection, trash collection and utilities will continue to function; however, events and other services that can be adjusted to better protect the community are currently under review.

So far, the State of the City Address has been postponed until further notice, along with parks and recreation events and programs. The status of city-related events can be found here, which will continue to be updated as more information becomes available. A list with operational hours and services of local businesses and restaurants can be found here. The list will continue to be updated based on the evolving situation. 

The Bowling Green City Administrative Services Building and all other city facilities will begin “operating on a modified basis” and will be restricting public access beginning Tuesday, March 17. 

City staff will continue to work but the city is discouraging any face-to-face contact between employees and the public. It is encouraged that citizens make alternate arrangements to pay utility bills, such as signing up for online bill payment, utilizing a drop box outside buildings or mailing paperwork as means to limit this face-to-face contact. 

Bowling Green City Schools closed on Friday, March 13 so teachers and staff could prepare curriculum as well as a plan to deliver meals to students in the case of further closures. All school-related activities have been canceled, including the meeting scheduled on March 16 at 4:30 to address COVID-19 concerns.

According to a news release, Gov. Mike DeWine declared that K-12 schools in Ohio would be on an extended spring break. Starting at the end of the school day on March 16, K-12 schools would be closed through April 3.d

Aspacher stated in the update, “For the greater good of public health and to flatten the curve by which this virus spreads, practicing smart social distancing and personal hygiene is something we can all do. It is not an overreaction to be responsible or prepared.”

The Bowling Green Fire Department and emergency services emphasized using 911 for “true emergencies” only, according to a post on the BG Ohio website. Too many requests sent to the system that are not considered a true emergency results in the 911 system becoming overloaded. 

“Generally speaking, people are aware that they should call 911 in an emergency, but they are less aware of the circumstances in which they should not call 911 … General cold and flu-like symptoms are typically not circumstances that would require a 911 call and emergency response,” the post said.

Following these instructions will reduce the potential exposures to first responders, hospital-based healthcare workers and the general public. 

However, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone using local EMS for treatment and transport of patients exhibiting flu-like symptoms with a true emergency to give the 911 operator as much detailed information as possible, especially if the patient has recently traveled outside of the U.S. 

“The more information we have about the patient, the better,” according to this post. 

Individuals with concerns or flu-like symptoms are encouraged to call their health care provider first. The ODH has a COVID-19 hotline at 1-833-4ASK-ODH.