Ohio opens sports, entertainment venues

State also changes its data reporting system to improve its accuracy.

Attending a concert or ball game as a fan will be allowed but at less than a third of venue capacities, according to a new public health order effective Tuesday.

Indoor venues will be allowed to operate at 25% of seated capacity while outdoor venues can operate at 30%.

Spectators will be seated in pods of six people or fewer. Each pod will be at least 6 feet apart from each other. Face masks will be required.

Ohio is also lifting the 300-person limit on banquet centers.

This week marks one year since Gov. Mike DeWine took the first steps to shut down mass gatherings to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The first event in Ohio that was limited was the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, which was closed to spectators but allowed to continue with 22,000 athletes from more than 75 countries.

The state also announced this week that Ohio’s COVID deaths will be updated twice weekly instead of daily as the state shifts to a new system in the wake of underreporting more than 4,000 deaths.

The COVID-19 dashboard will look a little different to Ohioans who check it regularly but the data will be more accurate, according

Coronavirus