COLUMBUS, Ohio — During Monday’s press conference, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he would be extending the state’s curfew, which is set to expire on Thursday.
The governor was asked what the plan was for the 21-day curfew that went into effect on Nov. 19 statewide.
“It will need to be extended. We’ll talk more about that Thursday, but it’ll need to be extended,” DeWine said.
The curfew, which currently is in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night, was implemented in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 as the state deals with an ongoing surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Exceptions of the current curfew include those going to and from work, emergency situations, getting food and going to the hospital.
DeWine said in November when he issued the curfew that police departments would be able to enforce the curfew if they saw people violating it, using groups gathered in a park after 10 p.m. as an example.
The curfew was considered to be an efficient but less disruptive option to the economy while still mitigating COVID-19 spread enough to have a positive impact on the healthcare system in Ohio, which has been overwhelmed due to the surge in cases.
"We don’t need to shut down. But we do need to slow down for a few weeks to get this virus back into a manageable situation," said Lt. Gov. Jon Husted in November.
DeWine will address the details of the extended curfew and whether any modifications to it will be implemented on Thursday.
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