COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine said he is optimistic his new curfew and strengthened mask mandate will slow the spread of COVID-19, but warned a shutdown like the spring could become needed if trends continue.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. DeWine said a shutdown is possible if coronavirus trends persist

  • The governor shared the state's vaccine distribution plans Wednesday

  • Nursing home staff will get the first vaccine doses, second are frontline health workers.

“We need to rally,” DeWine said. “There could become a point where, yes, we will have to go to a shutdown as we did in the spring.”

 The governor said a shutdown would cause businesses to shutter and many more Ohioans to lose work.

Ohio officials want to avoid a total shutdown, but further health orders are under consideration by the governor’s office, he said.

With the current pandemic numbers in Ohio, the future even two weeks out for what the state’s response might entail has never looked more uncertain.

Residents who have watched case numbers rocket upward in the last seven weeks wait on edge every day as new public health rules are unveiled.

On Wednesday, making press stops at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport, Lane Aviation Columbus, as well as locations in several other cities, DeWine said a second shutdown would be more damaging than the first.

 

“Many people will lose their jobs, we will have many more people unemployed, and we have no backup unemployment coming from the federal government,” DeWine said. 

Announcing the curfew Tuesday, the governor said the state has no money to offer relief if it were to shutdown indoor dining and gyms. 

The three-week curfew, which begins Thursday night, prohibits all in-person retail activity and any gatherings from the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. DeWine said it is just as important what residents do in their personal lives, but government will not be knocking on anyone’s door for disobeying the order. 

“We hope that that will help. We believe it will help. But we’re also asking everyone to pull back a little bit from your personal contacts with other people,” DeWine said.

The governor says it is fine to go for a walk after 10 p.m., but not fine to meet up with friends in a park after 10 p.m. Police might stop groups out after 10 p.m., he said.

“There’s no way that we can or should patrol what people do in their individual lives,” DeWine said. “It’s a timeout. It’s an opportunity for us to pull back for seven hours in a 24-hour day to try to break this." 

The governor struck an optimistic tone about progress in the vaccine race, following news the state had named 10 sites​ to deliver doses to health care workers. On Wednesday, he shared new information about the vaccine distribution plan.

“We’re going to really try to build a wall around our nursing homes by getting people who work in the nursing homes inoculated,” DeWine said. “From there, we’re going to move directly into our medical teams that are out on the forefront trying to protect us.”

DeWine laughed as he his discussed legislative challenges from members of his own party who are seeking to strip powers from the Ohio Department of Health to enforce COVID-19 regulations.

The governor said his latest messaging that all Ohioans must wear masks is starting to resonate with people. He said there are early signs that wearing masks in retail has gone up.

The Ohio Department of Health was delayed Wednesday in reporting COVID-19 case and hospitalization numbers. The governor said he had been informed of the problem but said “technical problems are out of my expertise.”

DeWine said he does not know the latest case numbers. Usually he sees the numbers around 1 p.m. and they are released at 2 p.m. This story will be updated as the issue develops