(Columbus) - Governor Mike DeWine has ordered a statewide curfew starting Thursday, in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The governor announced Tuesday that for three weeks, retail businesses will have to close each night at 10, and can't reopen until 5 a.m. the next day. There will be exceptions, as grocery stores and drugstores can remain open. Food take-out will still be allowed, and people can travel for work.
DeWine said cutting down contact with others by 25%, and mask-wearing, should help reverse the increasing trends of COVID-19 cases rising. "We're not shutting down, we're slowing down," said Governor DeWine. "The curfew is aimed at helping to reduce the number of person-to-person contacts because the only way virus lives is when it goes from one person to another. We have to flatten this curve again and get this under control."
The governor says he got input from both the medical and business communities, and there was consideration to the economic and mental health impacts that a total shutdown could cause.