Ohio Governor Mike DeWine asked the Ohio Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) to enact an emergency law instituting a 10p.m. “last call” for bars and restaurants across the state.
At a press conference today The Governor said that the emergency law would allow for patrons to place a final drink order at 10 p.m. and continue drinking until 11 p.m. The governor went on to say “We have to slow the spread of the virus, and we have to slow the spread across the state of Ohio.”
The governor took to Twitter to address fears that Ohio would be shutting down it’s bars and restaurants.
This rule would prevent the sale of alcohol at all liquor-permitted establishments beginning at 10 p.m. each night. Consumption of alcohol must end by 11:00 p.m.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) July 30, 2020
The state’s capital Columbus recently passed a similar city-wide ordinance.
Shortly after the ordinance passed, Franklin County Judge Mark Serott granted a temporary restraining order barring enforcement of the policy. The order, which was granted on behalf of a number of local restaurants, is good for 14 days, at which point a new hearing will need to be scheduled.
Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts stated that her department had “received numerous complaints regarding Columbus establishments not following the rules regarding facial coverings and social distancing for restaurants and bars.”
She said, “there has been a 220 percent increase in cases since portions of Columbus began reopening June 1,” and that, “it would be difficult for restaurant and bar staff to police patrons as customers ‘normalize’ their experience inside the establishments.”
Coronavirus cases in Ohio have spiked in the last 30 days, with 2,767 of new hospitalizations across the state being reported from July 1 through July 30 compared to 1,727 from June 1 to June 30.
Watch the full press briefing:
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Ben Kolodny is a reporter at The Ohio Star and the Star News Network. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Tips can be sent to [email protected]
