5 things to know about the coronavirus today: Absentee ballots and fall festivities

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose reported that for this election, Ohio has received over 1.3 million absentee ballot applications, more than double the number that the state had at the same point ahead of the 2016 election. Three Dayton-area counties each contributed more than 30,000 applications each, including Montgomery County, which led the area with over 55,000 applications.

Over half of the top 10 counties with the most cases per population are in the Miami Valley

The state has released an updated list of the top 10 counties with the most cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people, and more than half of that list are located in the Miami Valley. This includes Montgomery, Butler, Darke, Mercer and Shelby counties, as well as Miami County, which was on the list for the first time.

Lebanon to go on with the Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade and Christmas Festival, with changes

Lebanon has announced that although it is unable to hold its normal Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade and Christmas Festival, it would instead hold three parades on Dec. 5; one at 1 p.m., one at 4 p.m., and one at 7 p.m. In addition, the parade will include fewer carriages and travel a shorter route, and the chamber of commerce will sell seating in reserved boxes on both sides of Broadway Street between Main and Mulberry streets for $200. Masks will be required when social distancing is impossible and a number of vendors will be set up 10 feet apart.

Haunted attraction and corn maze organizers discussed what to expect

Although many of fall’s largest festivals were canceled due to the coronavirus, some haunted attractions and corn mazes have decided to go on, with some changes. These include social distancing requirements, regular sanitizing, occupancy limits and having customers answer coronavirus screening questions before being allowed inside.

Numbers of new cases down at UD and Miami University

Both the University of Dayton and Miami University reported small numbers of new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, down from the large numbers reported since classes resumed. UD reported three new cases on Tuesday, down from six the day before, while Miami reported three new cases on Tuesday, down from 17 and seven on the previous two days.