In a typical year, as the holidays approach, we would be consumed with thoughts of Thanksgiving dinners, Black Friday shopping, buying the perfect gift for everyone on our list, and going home to see family. Now, these decisions have become life or death – no hyperbole or metaphor needed. It is important to continue to wear face masks, social distance, and restrict interactions with people outside your household. With the rise of COVID-19 cases, it is clear that the decisions you make for you and your family might be a decision for someone else’s family, as well. As holidays are typically associated with large celebrations with extended family, government officials in Ohio have been swift in the past week to establish new COVID-19 policies in an attempt to prevent further spread of this deadly disease.
According to WKYC, the Akron City Council voted on Monday, November 16th for legislation that went into effect immediately that prohibited gatherings of more than six guests. It also required that any gathering with less than six guests have face masks or social distancing of at least six feet with exceptions for children, being outdoors, mask-prohibitive medical conditions, or actively eating. This legislation will be in effect for a minimum of 30 days and will be enforced by Summit County Public Health and the Akron Police Department.
In Summit County, News 5 Cleveland reports that a Stay at Home Health Advisory was put into place by the Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro and the Summit County Health Commissioner Donna Skoda on Thursday, November 19th. This advisory will last until at least December 16th, and its purpose is to encourage Summit County residents to stay at home as much as possible and to not travel and to encourage businesses to move different operations and functions online. This advisory, is, however, voluntary.
Potentially, the most crucial change was announced by Governor DeWine for the whole state of Ohio. This new policy of a 10pm to 5am statewide curfew that will be in effect for a minimum of 21 days starting on Thursday, November 19th has already caused a firestorm of tweets and memes. This public order states that “All individuals residing within the State of Ohio are ordered to stay at a place of residence during the hours of 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. except as otherwise expressly permitted in this Order. For purposes of this Order, residences include single family homes, apartments, condominiums, dormitory living units, hotels, motels, shared rental units, and shelters.” Governor DeWine has clarified that there are multiple exceptions to this curfew including receiving medical care, shopping for groceries or picking up food, going to and from work. The full language of this order further explains all necessary exceptions. This order was put into place to flatten the curve once again while being cognizant of the economic implications of another shutdown.
Be sure to keep these new guidelines in mind when planning for break!