Ohio will be extending its overnight curfew until January 23, the second extension the state has seen.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine originally announced a 21-day curfew in November. He then extended it until January 2, followed by the most recent extension.
The curfew, meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the state, runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and targets retail and indoor dining for restaurants. The order bars everything except trips for food, supplies and medical needs, as well as travel for work or emergencies. Drive-thru meals are still permitted.
DeWine said that while Ohio’s numbers of coronavirus confirmed deaths are not rising, they are also not decreasing.
“As you can see, our numbers are sort of in a flux,” DeWine said on Wednesday. “They are not going down, and we have to see what happens in regards to the holiday, if there’s an aftermath in regards to the holidays.”
Curfew ➡ @OHDeptofHealth is extending the 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. statewide curfew for another three weeks until January 23, 2021. This is b/c we don’t yet know what effect the holidays may have on our hospitals and health care systems, so we must continue to be cautious. pic.twitter.com/mVDaBYB0vx
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) December 30, 2020
As a reminder, the curfew does not apply to those:
✅ going to and from work
✅ who have an emergency or need medical careThe curfew is not intended to stop anyone from getting groceries/going to the pharmacy.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) December 30, 2020
Both cases and hospitalizations have seen a slight dip since mid-December, although it is unclear what impact holiday gathering may have going forward.
The state has seen thousands of new confirmed cases of the coronavirus daily, seeing at least 5,000 new confirmed cases daily since the beginning of December, some days topping 11,000 cases, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project. Simultaneous hospitalizations have hovered between 4,000 and more than 5,000 through the month.
DeWine said the numbers had “plateaued at a very, very high level.”
Ohio currently has more than 600,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and nearly 8,000 deaths, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair.
