Curfew Issued In Ohio To Curb Coronavirus Spread

Chris Mosby
Updated ·2 min read

COLUMBUS, OH — A curfew will be instituted in Ohio to stymie the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Mike DeWine said.

The curfew will be in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and will go into effect Thursday. The curfew will remain in place for 21 days, DeWine said. The curfew will not apply to anyone going to work, anyone in an emergency situation, or anyone picking up or delivering food.

DeWine said he didn't want to institute a second full lockdown because of the implications for public schools, for Ohioans struggling with mental health ailments and for the protection of small businesses.

"There were a lot of consequences. When we looked at overdose deaths in the spring, they went up," DeWine offered as an example.

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The governor further asked every Ohioan to reduce their contact with others.

"Each one of us will make a difference. If we can cut down contacts by 20-25 percent, this will make a difference. Paired with mask-wearing, this will go a long way from stopping our hospitals from being overrun," DeWine said.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the newly instated chief medical officer of the state health department, joined DeWine during a news conference on Tuesday. He urged Ohioans to limit their Thanksgiving celebrations to only their small, inner circle.

Vanderhoff said Ohio's hospitals are suffering staff shortages amid the state's COVID-19 surge. On Oct. 13, there were 1,000 people hospitalized because of COVID-19 in Ohio. By Nov. 5, 2,000 Ohioans were hospitalized because of COVID-19. A week later, on Nov. 12, 3,000 Ohioans were hospitalized because of the virus.

DeWine said Ohio is now approaching 4,000 active COVID-19 hospitalizations.

"The situation is very serious. Every county is being impacted," Vanderhoff said. He added that frontline health workers are in a "precarious position."

Vanderhoff said the rapid and extensive spread of COVID-19 is leading to quarantines for doctors and nurses. That has caused staffing shortages in hospitals around the state. The Cleveland Clinic announced last week that 300 of its caregivers were out of action because of the virus.

"Even if we make necessary changes immediately, it's going to take us weeks to see improvements in our hospital numbers," Vanderhoff said. He insisted Ohioans need to begin wearing masks at all times to gradually de-stress Ohio's hospitals.

In recent weeks, DeWine has re-issued the state's mask mandate and placed new limits on wedding receptions, funerals and banquet halls.

Here are all of Tuesday's COVID-19 numbers in Ohio:

  • New cases: 7,079

  • New deaths: 30

  • New hospitalizations: 368

  • New ICU admissions: 27

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This article originally appeared on the Across Ohio Patch