COLUMBUS – As the death toll from COVID-19 in Ohio passes 7,000, Gov. Mike DeWine has announced he will extend the statewide curfew and is calling on lawmakers in Washington to approve additional pandemic relief.
The statewide 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew was designated on Nov. 17 and had been set to expire Thursday. But DeWine said Monday it will have to be extended as health experts believe it is helping to marginally slow a surge in cases in Ohio.
The measure would require nonessential businesses to close by 10:00 p.m. It exempts pharmacies and groceries and restaurants offering takeout or delivery service and doesn’t apply to people who need to be at work, who have an emergency or need medical care.
The state health department Monday reported 9,273 new coronavirus cases, the sixth highest number reported in one day since the pandemic began.
Another 336 new hospitalizations were reported and 40 new patients are in intensive care. An additional 63 people have died from COVID-19 in Ohio, bringing the total number to 7,022.
DeWine Monday issued a statement to Congress urging passage of another relief package before leaving Washington for the holiday recess.
“We are grateful in Ohio for the significant federal assistance provided to date, but more relief is desperately needed to support the ongoing state and local government response to this pandemic and to help our citizens, businesses, health care providers, essential workers, and schools as we face the public health and economic challenges that remain. The COVID-19 vaccine trials have demonstrated promising results. However, until we reach community immunity, the virus remains a great health and economic threat. In Ohio, we are seeing record-high cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.” -Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio)
Many programs included in the CARES Act, approved in the pandemic’s early days, have already run out, and more are set to expire before the end of the year, DeWine said.
Capitol Hill is struggling to figure out how to deliver the long-delayed relief, including additional help for businesses hard hit by the pandemic, further unemployment benefits, funding to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and funding demanded by Democrats for state and local governments.
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DeWine warned Ohioans would see a one-day spike in reported cases Tuesday as the Department of Health aligns its definition with that of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention’s.
Including antigen tests without an epidemiological link in the total case count will result in the spike in reported cases as a backlog of cases, dating to Nov. 1, is brought up to date.
There are 484,297 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and a total of 29,569 people have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic.
The state’s seven-day rate of positive coronavirus tests is 15.9%.