COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday he will extend the state’s 10 p.m. curfew, which was set to expire on Jan. 23.
The curfew, originally enacted Nov. 17 as a three-week measure, has now been extended several times. In announcing another extension Thursday, DeWine gave the first indication he is thinking about lifting it in the near future.
He said it appears case numbers have come down. Ohio’s seven-day case average was 6,058 on Thursday, down from 7,746 one week ago. Meanwhile, the state passed a milestone Thursday of 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines started.
“Next step will probably be to take it to maybe 11 p.m., but we're just not there,” the governor said Thursday.
He said the discovery of new variants in Ohio that are likely more contagious adds another unknown.
Before the curfew was implemented, Ohio bars and restaurants were under a 10 p.m. last call and alcoholic beverages could not be consumed on-premises after 11 p.m.
Most non-essential activities are prohibited. Drive-thru and delivery restaurants can remain open, as well as grocery stores and pharmacies.
DeWine said he will be watching coronavirus metrics to see the curfew can be lifted. But, right now, the rate of infection, 620 cases per 100,000 residents this week, is six times the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s classification of “high incidence,” he said.
“As governor, I have to try to keep this virus down,” DeWine said.