COLUMBUS, Ohio - State Sen. Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican who is next in line to be Ohio Senate president, sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine this week asking that businesses in less densely populated areas with fewer confirmed coronavirus cases be authorized to reopen.

DeWine’s spokesman said the office received the letter but they don’t have comment at this time.

In briefing after briefing, DeWine and other officials have said that the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths are likely higher than what’s been confirmed, due to testing shortages, and that social distancing has been key to lowering Ohio’s expected disease peak.

DeWine has also warned that if Ohio reopens too soon, there will be new infection spikes and deaths.

Huffman on Saturday said many businesses lack the finances to withstand the closures demanded in the state’s stay-at-home order, among other directives. Since the current stay-at-home order ends May 1 -- about three weeks from now -- Huffman believes the DeWine should establish some criteria under which businesses could be open by then.

For instance, maybe they can open with limitations if the infection rate is less than a half percent, Huffman suggested.

“Maybe restaurants don’t go to full capacity, and in two weeks they go to full capacity,” he said.

Huffman said too many people are going without paychecks. Guidelines from DeWine could provide people hope, allow business owners to plan and incentivize people to stay indoors to get the infection rate down.

“We don’t have to do the same thing in Coldwater, Ohio, as we have to do in Cleveland and Cincinnati,” he said.

Huffman specifically mentioned west central Ohio in his letter, but said it could be anywhere rural.

“As it turns out, we don’t have 10,000 cases a day. And that’s great. The person that deserves the most credit for it is Gov. DeWine. But now that we have this, let’s provide hope for businesses and people not getting a check every week.”

Huffman isn’t the only one pushing to reopen business.

On Saturday morning, Sen. Andrew Brenner, a Republican from Delaware County, wrote on Facebook that since the real threat won’t be over for a year or two, the state needs to relax restrictions. Brenner said that numbers have flattened out, which is a contradiction to the Ohio Department of Health’s forecast model that says the peak isn’t until April 19.

“We can’t stay like this much longer, and the hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who’ve lost their jobs or the thousands of small business owners can’t keep doing this either, or their lives will be irreparably destroyed,” Brenner wrote.

It’s unknown whether the stay-at-home order that’s to end May 1 will be extended again. DeWine hasn’t committed to an end date, and has previously said that K-12 schools may be closed for the rest of the academic year.

DeWine has been aggressive in limiting activity during the pandemic, and has been praised nationally for early interventions.

Lt. Gov Jon Husted has cautioned that the reopening of Ohio will be gradual.

“Life won’t go back to what it was known as pre-coronavirus,” he said Thursday.

Temperatures may continue to be checked. Tables may be spaced farther apart at restaurants.

“It’s a gradual pulling back on certain restrictions as we try to get society back to normal,” Husted said.

Other coronavirus coverage:

227 Ohioans have died from coronavirus, 5,836 confirmed infections: Gov. Mike DeWine’s Friday, April 10 briefing

Are vape shops essential businesses? It varies throughout Ohio.

Ohio’s coronavirus crisis, one month in: Capitol Letter