With Covid hospitalization numbers continuing to fall, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced today the statewide curfew, which expired today, would not be extended.
Fewer than 2,500 Ohioans had been hospitalized for seven straight days as of earlier this week, which led DeWine to roll back restrictions the state instituted in mid November that mandated bars and restaurants close early. The initial 10 p.m. closing time was extended slightly to 11 p.m. in late January as numbers improved.
The hospitality industry had already taken a pandemic-induced financial beating through last year but, as the state sought to enact efforts to stem the tide of a severe Covid surge in the late fall and early winter, restaurants and bars saw late-night hours cut in what DeWine saw as a compromise in lieu of shuttering in-person dining and drinking altogether. (Casinos and other businesses also fell under the curfew.)
Locally, reacting both to the curfew order and the county's stay-at-home order, which has also expired, some operators chose to temporarily shutter their doors and wait out the winter months.
A reminder that establishments must still adhere to Ohio's health guidelines regarding masking, sanitation and social distancing.