DeWine Announces COVID-19 Curfew

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.

Ohio Statewide Curfew Details

Beginning Thursday, November 19, Ohioans are subject to a statewide curfew from 10PM to 5AM for 21 days. The curfew does not apply to individuals who are:

• At work;
• Commuting to/from work;
• Obtaining food, including grocery shopping or drive through/pickup/delivery services; and
• Obtaining or seeking medical/mental health supplies or treatment.

Governor DeWine, in response to questions from the press, acknowledged that considerable person-to-person contacts can still occur during daytime hours and challenged Ohioans to do more to help combat the spread of the virus. For example, he asked Ohioans to consolidate shopping trips and consider doing virtual gatherings as opposed to seeing friends and family in person. The Governor described the curfew as the least disruptive method to curb the spread of the virus, as opposed to a complete shutdown of economic activity.

A copy of the order is not yet available.

Face Covering Requirement

As we mentioned in our Friday, November 13, update, a revised face covering order was issued.

With exceptions, the following provisions are applicable to retail businesses:

• Each store must post a sign outlining face-covering requirements at all public entrances;
• Each store is responsible for ensuring that customers and employees are wearing masks; and
• The creation of a new Retail Compliance Unit, to ensure compliance.

Retail stores that violate the order receive a written warning for the first violation. A second violation can result in closure of the store for up to 24 hours. Governor DeWine said agents began visiting retail stores this week.

Mass Gatherings

Also, the Ohio Department of Health formally issued the Revised Order to Limit and/or Prohibit Mass Gatherings in the State of Ohio, with Exceptions, which we previously reported.

The order places the following restrictions on wedding receptions, funeral repasts, and other events at banquet facilities:

• No socializing or activities in open congregate areas and no dancing;
• Guests must be seated at all times, but traditional wedding reception events such as first dance, toasts, tossing the bouquet and cutting the cake are permitted;
• If serving food and beverages, guests must be served at their seats. No self-serve buffets and no self-serve bar areas permitted;
• Masks must be worn at all times, unless actively consuming food or beverages; and

No more than 10 people should be seated at a table and all must be from the same household.