Franklin County to provide COVID tests for employees

Testing kits for COVID-19 have been hard to come by in Greater Columbus, but Franklin County commissioners are hoping to at least make tests more readily available for county employees.

The commissioners on Monday approved spending up to $80,990 to purchase 6,230 antigen rapid-test kits from Sterling Distribution that would be distributed to county employees.

In addition, the commissioners approved $450,000 for Franklin County Public Health to support testing and vaccine efforts, and $250,000 for the health agency to fund communications efforts surrounding the ongoing pandemic and the importance of vaccines, masks, and other mitigation strategies.

The expenditures come as cases surge due to the COVID-19 omicron variant. Hospitalizations in Ohio rose to a daily record on Monday and Gov. Mike Dewine has continued to mobilize Ohio National Guard members at hospitals around the state.

In a resolution, county commissioners also reaffirmed the county’s commitment to public health guidelines intended to fight COVID-19 and also urged local governments in the county institute mask mandates for indoor spaces and other crowded areas.

“I’m glad to see this resolution so that our neighbors in Franklin County know that we understand ... firsthand the need for ongoing testing, for athome tests, as well as additional supplies to make sure everyone has what they need, said Commissioner Erica Crawley.

In their annual reorganization,

Crawley was selected Monday to serve as the board of commissioners’ president for 2022 by a 2-0 vote of Commissioner John O’grady and Crawley.

Commissioner Kevin L. Boyce, who served as the board’s president in 2021, was not present during the meeting.

A former state representative, Crawley was appointed in June by the Franklin County Democratic Party’s Central Committee to a seat on the board of commissioners.

“I’m truly grateful,” Crawley said during the meeting. “I look forward to continuing my service for Franklin County.”

Eric Lagatta is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, breaking news and social justice issues. Reach him at elagatta@dispatch.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ericlagatta