Gov. Mike DeWine said he's moving toward an economic "slowdown," not a shutdown, to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the state. More coronavirus restrictions are coming as soon as Tuesday, the governor said at a Monday press conference in West Virginia.
DeWine said the state is looking at ways to lower the spread of coronavirus while also keeping businesses and schools open and protecting those most vulnerable.
"We don’t want to shut down – we want to slow down. And it really comes back to lessening the number of interactions with people outside your home.” DeWine said on Monday. “And by slowing down, reduce the number of interactions that you have with people outside of your own household. That really is the key. So we can do most of the things we’ve always done. We just need to be careful.”
The governor used a series of appearances in areas bordering Ohio on Monday to hint at restrictions that he plans to roll out this week.
Other media outlets have reported DeWine is exploring a 10 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew for many businesses. DeWine said last week the state would once again close bars, restaurants and fitness centers if case numbers did not fall.
You can hear DeWine's Tuesday press conference starting at 2 p.m. on 89.7 NPR News, or stream on WOSU's website.
Ohio is in the midst of its largest spike yet of coronavirus cases. The state reported 7,268 new coronavirus cases Monday, the fourth-highest daily increase on record, and about 600 fewer than the previous day. The recent surge has hit hospitals especially hard, with health officials warning that the influx of coronavirus patients could impact care.
On Monday, the Ohio Department of Health reported a record 3,387 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19.
