By 1812Blockhouse
Ohio’s 10 PM to 5 AM curfew will be extended past its expiration date this coming weekend, Governor Mike DeWine said in his Thursday briefing.
“Look, we would love to get rid of it,” DeWine said. The culprit that will keep it around is the arrival in Ohio of new, more contagious strains of the COVID-19 virus and the uncertainty that creates.
The curfew began in mid-November, and was extended an initial time the next month.
In related news, DeWine announced that the State has purchased two million rapid COVID-19 tests for distribution to local health districts. These tests can provide results in as little as 15 minutes.
Also on Thursday, the weekly release of the numbers of cases in Ohio schools took place. For Richland County, that release represented continued good news as another drop in infections took place.
Two weeks ago on January 7 there were 49 reported cases for students and staff; last week, there were 39. On Thursday of this week, 26 cases were reported in Richland County schools, representing 15 students and 11 staff. Those districts or schools shared the following levels of infection:
- Clear Fork — 2 staff
- GOAL Digital Academy — 1 student
- Lucas — 4 students
- Mansfield City — 1 student, 2 staff
- Ontario — 5 students, 4 staff
- Pioneer — 1 student, 1 staff
- Shelby — 3 students, 2 staff
According to the Ohio Department of Health, “A report of COVID-19 should not be interpreted as an indicator that a school district or school isn’t following proper procedures—school cases can be a reflection of the overall situation in the broader community. Families and staff should always feel free to ask questions of the school district or school.”
