At the end of January, Gov. Mike DeWine promised to lift Ohio’s monthslong curfew if the state reported fewer than 2,500 simultaneous COVID-19 hospitalizations for seven days in a row. Monday was the seventh day.
The Ohio Department of Health, which posts the number of COVID-19 patients in state hospitals every day, has recorded under 2,500 such cases since Feb. 2.
Wednesday’s number was lowest of all: 1,922.
When asked for comment, DeWine administration spokesman Dan Tierney declined to confirm whether the governor would lift the curfew at his scheduled Thursday news conference.
DeWine first enacted the state curfew in mid-November, placing it at 10 p.m. each night for most businesses and individuals. COVID-19 cases were spiking in Ohio at the time, and DeWine argued that limiting after-hours gatherings would help protect Ohioans from the virus.
The 21-day curfew was renewed twice, then relaxed to 11 p.m. at the end of January
