CLEVELAND — Ohio is home to 88 counties, more than a thousand local governments and based on viewer emails, it seems like many of you feel that each of them is coming up with their own level of restrictions. Jennifer emailed to ask if a neighbor is hanging outside with friends past 10 can they get into trouble? Yes and no said, Governor Mike DeWine.
"If police come up to a group of people who are congregating somewhere, I expect the police are going to be telling them ‘hey guys go home, go back to your home,’” DeWine said.
We heard from James the pastor of a church asking if these advisories extend to churches. Summit County Health Commissioner Donna Skoda points to the operative word.
"It's an advisory only and basically we are encouraging as we have always encouraged religious organizations to think of their parishioner's health first,” Skoda said. “We are in no way telling anyone that religious organizations cannot meet. It's just you have to think of safety first.”
Keli said 99% of the population is home by 10 p.m. and don't leave their house before 5 a.m. “so ask the governor how they help curb the spread.”
"Those who go to bed at 9 o'clock or 10 o'clock and so that's really not going to impact them,” DeWine said adding “do something every day, do one-two-three things that pull you back a little bit so that you have fewer contacts with other people."
And this one we got from several people who have tickets to Sunday's Browns game asking what do they do, DeWine said essentially dress warm and don't forget the mask.
"I don't worry about people who are outside wearing masks socially distanced in a place that we've got one-fifth of capacity basically. What I worry about are the people who are watching the Browns game who are sitting in their basement with four or five buddies and not wearing a mask that's what I worry about,” he said.
Michele from New Jersey said she planned to come in for Thanksgiving to visit family when she saw the stay-at-home advisory and wondered if that’s what she should do? Skoda said this year that’s probably best.
“I would say to them I know they want to see their loved ones, I know they want to get together but they really have to think about the health of everyone it is not just their immediate family,” Skoda said. “Every time you mix individuals together from different bubbles, meaning whoever is in your house you run the risk of increasing the spread of COVID 19.
