COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the number of new coronavirus cases hitting an all time high Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine urged families to plan accordingly for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The daily new case number for the state reached 2,178, the worst it has ever been in Ohio since the start of the pandemic.
At his briefing DeWine said families that had planned on a large gathering for Thanksgiving should re-think their plans in the name of safety. “People are talking about Thanksgiving. If you are going to do it safely you are not going to do it like last year. But you can still do something,” DeWine said.
>> DeWine: Ohio in ‘worst shape’ since start of pandemic; State breaks record for new daily cases
It came just as the state’s new health advisory map added more level-three counties. Six of them are in the Miami Valley, including Butler, Clark, Greene, Mercer, Montgomery, Warren counties. DeWine noted that with the new map, 65% of the state’s population is living in a level three county with plenty of evidence of community spread of the virus.
The advisory level is important because many businesses and most school districts tie their mode of operations to the status of their county. More red usually means less in-person business and learning in schools and more virtual classroom work on-line. The sudden surge of new cases follows a combination of colder weather forcing people indoors more and people becoming more lax about mask wearing and other precautions, according to medical experts. “What we have seen is a roller coaster of … Oh I haven’t heard of anyone getting COVID-19 in a while, so maybe I can do what I was doing before, or doing the things that I did last year at this time,” said Dr. David Margolis, MetroHealth Cleveland.
The higher case numbers have also blocked any chance for the restrictions on bars and restaurants to be lifted by the Governor. For now, the 10 pm curfew on alcohol sales will continue. DeWine though did announce that he will seek financial help for bars and restaurants from the General Assembly. Details will come later.
When it comes to planning for Thanksgiving, DeWine urged people to plan ahead and reduce the size of the gatherings. “We believe, as you heard from the doctors, that there is a safe way to do the things that most Ohioans want to do and we just ask people to do those,” DeWine said.
Could there be another lockdown if the situation gets much worse? DeWine said he’s leaving all options open but indicated he will not do that because he wants to keep people working and the economy open as much as possible.
Cox Media Group
