Governor Mike DeWine announced that the administration is issuing a statewide curfew that takes effect on Thursday, November 19. Under the curfew, individuals are to be at home from 10PM until 5AM. The curfew lasts for 21 days. The Governor previously signaled he was considering closing in-person dining at bars and restaurants as daily case counts crept up over 8,000 per day.
Amid record setting daily case numbers of COVID-19 and dangerous levels of hospitalizations, Governor DeWine addressed the state on Wednesday, November 11. During the speech (prepared remarks), the Governor began by confirming that the state remains in a state of emergency because of the pandemic. He then announced the administration will issue a revised mask order with new requirements for retail businesses and creating a new Retail Compliance Unit, charged with enforcing the revised mask order.
Details about the Senate’s approach to a second coronavirus relief package, titled the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability, and Schools Act or HEALS Act, have been released but federal lawmakers and interested parties are still scrambling to understand what is included in the $1 trillion stimulus package.
Senate Republicans have said they are hesitant to endorse the package until they have more time to vet the bill’s provisions. A number of items which are seemingly unrelated to coronavirus relief, such as $1.75 billion for a new FBI building, have made Senate Republicans hesitant to endorse the measures. The feasibility of certain provisions, such as basing the among of stimulus payments on a yet to be create system that will have to coordinate with individual state unemployment offices, have also drawn concerns.