City of Lakewood: Coronavirus/COVID-19 Response Update

The City of Lakewood is monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic closely and is taking direction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Governor’s Office and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health regarding mitigation procedures.

All COVID-19 cases are being tracked and monitored by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and the Ohio Department of Health.  Cases are tracked by the patient’s home residence.  As of this afternoon, there are no known Lakewood residents who have tested positive for COVID-19.  However, we know community spread of the virus is happening in Ohio and there is a strong likelihood that we will see cases here in Lakewood.    We are working diligently to minimize the spread of this virus.

The following is a listing of the most-recent updates:

• All non-essential city employees have been sent home and are working remotely when possible.
• Following the Governor’s recent guidance, essential city meetings will be limited to ten people in a room. All non-essential meetings have been cancelled.
• Our Police and Fire Departments have protocols in place and are updating them based on CDC protocols.
• The Lakewood Animal Shelter is closed as of 12:00 PM on March 17, 2020. If there is an animal concern, such as a dog running at large, individuals can contact the non-emergency police number at (216) 521-6773.
• Metered parking is no longer being enforced at this time.
• All fitness centers/gyms; bowling alleys; public recreation centers; movie theaters, indoor waterparks and trampoline parks in Ohio are now closed.
• All bars and restaurants in the State of Ohio are closed to the public. Carry-out and delivery are still available.
• Division of Housing and Building will be open by appointment only. Please call (216) 529-6270 or email housing.building@lakewoodoh.net to make an appointment.
• The Department of Planning and Development will be open by appointment only. Please call (216) 529-6630 or planning@lakewoodoh.net make an appointment.
• There will be no water shut-offs for non-payment during this pandemic. If you are behind on paying your water bill, payment plans are available.
• The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals have set-up two drive-through testing facilities for COVID-19. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please contact a healthcare provider.  Do not go to the emergency room.  If you are experiencing life threatening symptoms, please call 9-1-1.
• The City Hall Annex Building is closed for in-person visits. This includes Tax, Water and Vital Statistics.  If you have business with one of these divisions, you can call or email them with questions.  Many services can be handled, by phone, email and mail.  This facility also has a drop box available on the east side of the building.
  Tax: (216) 529-6620  or taxdept@lakewoodoh.net
  Water: (216) 529-6820 or water@lakewoodoh.net
  Vital Statistics: (216) 529-7690 or vitalstats@lakewoodoh.net

• Public access at city meetings may be restricted. Any meeting that in-person attendance is restricted will be live streamed on the City of Lakewood website and will be recorded.  Those recordings will be available on the city’s website after the meeting.  Many non-essential meetings have been cancelled.
• Lakewood’s Human Services Department has cancelled senior programming and closed the Lawther Senior Center and the congregate dining at Fedor Manor, through April 3rd, at the earliest. If a senior has questions or concerns, they can call the Senior Center at 216-521-1515.
• All early childhood programs offered at the Lakewood Family Room and the East End Family Room at Fedor have been cancelled until April 3rd, at the earliest.
• All H20 programming, including Breakfast with the Bunny, has been cancelled.

Please visit www.onelakewood.com/coronavirus  and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for further updates and alerts. In the meantime, if you would like more information, you can find it at the following resources:

• Centers for Disease Control: cdc.gov
• Ohio Department of Health: ohio.gov
• Cuyahoga County Board of Health: ccbh.net/coronavirus

The City has also set-up a phone line where we will record regular messages with local updates.  This line has been set-up so that those that don’t have access to the website and our social media channels can still receive the latest updates.   Please call (216) 227-3240 for the latest update.

If you have questions and wish to speak with someone directly, the Ohio Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions regarding the Coronavirus. The call center is open seven days a week, from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm and can be reached at 1-833-427-5634.  MetroHealth has also set up a support line at (440)-592-6843.  This is a free service open to anyone.