DeWine exploring 10 pm to 6 am curfew on many Ohio businesses to battle COVID-19 pandemic

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (left) and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted wear their masks while walking into the daily coronavirus news conference on Friday, April 17, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse.

 (Photo: Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch)

Gov. Mike DeWine is exploring a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on many businesses in a bid to slow  Ohio’s COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to careen to nearly 8,000 new cases a day.

The governor has been discussing the move with Ohio business groups, but receiving pushback about late-night closings, said multiple sources with knowledge of the talks who asked not to be identified.

Other details were not available and the governor’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

DeWine said he expected to make an announcement — which he did not detail — at his Tuesday virus news conference while speaking Monday morning in Huntington, West Virginia, where he flew to address Ohioans living in the southern part of the state.

The anticipated announcement involves “additional options” separate from DeWine’s threat to close restaurants, bars and fitness centers as soon as Thursday if cases remain high, said Dan Tierney, the governor’s spokesman.

More: Ohio reports 7,853 new COVID-19 cases Sunday

More: Ohio State dashboard helping Columbus-area schools spot COVID outbreaks among children

New COVID-19 cases do remain high. The state reported 7,853 on Sunday and 7,715 on Saturday after posting a daily record 8,071 cases on Friday.

“We’ve got to slow this down,” DeWine said in Huntington, repeating his familiar mantra of wearing masks, practicing social distancing and avoiding gatherings and crowds.

“We don’t want to close businesses we want people to be able to make a living” and for students to remain in school, DeWine said. “Instead of shutting down, we have to slow down …. slow down our individual lives and what we are doing.”

DeWine then was scheduled to fly to Wheeling, West Virginia, for another airport news conference to address eastern Ohioans about the pandemic.

Nearly half of Ohio’s near-300,000 COVID-19 cases in the 8-month-old pandemic have been recorded in the the last six weeks as the number of infections rise to regular daily records.

Ohio has recorded slightly more than 144,000 coronavirus infections since Oct. 1 for an increase of 94%. The number of total infections has increased 38% since Nov. 1 alone.

More: COVID-19: Ohio deaths up by 7.8% so far in 2020, coronavirus pandemic likely to blame

The state’s daily virus caseloads have increased about sixfold from around 1,300 in early October to around 8,000 in recent days while hospitalizations have roughly tripled with a near-record of more than 3,000 people needing advanced care on Sunday. A total of 5,722 people have died from COVID-19 in Ohio.

The revised state order for gatherings to generally not exceed 10 people was issued Monday morning, aimed at banquet-hall events, wedding receptions and funeral wakes and what the governor’s office called their “rampant spread” of the virus.

Effective Tuesday, it mandates that no more than 10 people may sit at the same table and all must be from the same household, with no socializing in groups. Masks must be worn except when “actively” eating and drinking. Meals and drinks must be delivered to tables, with no buffets or self-serve bars allowed.

“Guests must be seated at all times. Traditional wedding reception events such as first dance, toasts, tossing the bouquet and cutting the cake are permitted” — but dancing is not allowed.

In a statement, DeWine said, “We have seen great tragedy associated with such events.  It’s not the ceremonies causing the problem. It’s the party afterward.”

“The order does not apply to religious observances; First Amendment protected speech, including petition/referendum circulators, and any activity by media; and governmental meetings which include meetings that must be open to public,” the governor’s office said.

He also issued a revised mask order on Friday evening that requires retail customers age 10 and over and employees to wear masks, effective Monday, under threat of a second violation closing a location for up to 24 hours.

Retailers must designate a “compliance officer” to ensure everyone wears masks upon entry during all business hours. Retail employees are not required to place themselves “in jeopardy or risk harm” in enforcing the mask order.

The order authorizes local health departments and police agencies to enforce the order, with newly designated state agents also to check on compliance. The order does not apply to restaurants, bars, banquet halls, gymnasiums, barber shops, hair salons and other businesses under alternate mask orders.

rludlow@dispatch.com

@RandyLudlow

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