Ohio residents will be required to stay indoors between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for a three-week period beginning Thursday.
Gov. Mike DeWine said the measure is needed to curb the spread of the virus after more than 2,300 new cases were reported on Tuesday.
“We believe this will help reduce the COVID-19 spread,” DeWine said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. “I’m also asking each Ohioan, every day, to do at least one thing that reduces your contact with others.”
DeWine said people in need of medical help and those who are going to work during the hours of the curfew will not be subject to penalties.
“The curfew does not apply to those who need to be at work, those who have an emergency, or those who need medical care,” DeWine added. “The curfew is not intended to stop anyone from getting groceries, a carry-out [or] drive-thru meal, or delivery. A lot of this is common sense.”
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said he recently met with business leaders in the state who overwhelmingly agreed the curfew was the best option to slow the disease’s path.
Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan decried the move, suggesting that it was an arbitrary decree that would penalize residents for performing everyday tasks at the wrong hour.
“Starting Thursday in Ohio: Walk your dog at 9:59 p.m.? Covid free! Walk your dog at 10:01 p.m.? 90 days in jail,” Jordan tweeted after the announcement.
Starting Thursday in Ohio:
Walk your dog at 9:59 p.m.? Covid free!
Walk your dog at 10:01 p.m.? 90 days in jail. https://t.co/FoAkdyxMuX
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) November 17, 2020
