COLUMBUS – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered the state’s bars and restaurant dining rooms to close amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Bars and restaurants must close by 9 p.m. Sunday, DeWine said. Carryout and delivery food orders can be continued.

He said the decision was made after consulting with experts, research and anecdotal evidence from a number of areas of the state – including text messages and photos he received Sunday morning showing crowded bars the night before.

The governor said he is aware that the order will be devastating for many small businesses and will result in many Ohioans losing their jobs. He said, however, the step is essential.

"This is a very, very crucial time," he said. "Delay means more people will die. Literally every day we delay, the data clearly shows more people will die."

Governors in Illinois, California and Massachusetts mandated bar and restaurant closures there in the hours following DeWine's announcement.

The measure is the latest in the state’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus. As of Sunday, 37 Ohioans had tested positive for the virus, with another 361 awaiting test results. Another 140 tested negative.

“The cases are the tip of the iceberg," Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said. "There are many cases out there that are undetected.”

The state will also extend unemployment benefits to workers affected by the coronavirus, including workers who don't have paid leave. That will include workers whose employers have closed because of the virus and people forced to self-quarantine by a physician or employer.

The state will also eliminate the one-week waiting period to receive benefits and the requirement beneficiaries be actively seeking work.

The state's unemployment benefits website is unemployment.ohio.gov.

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The state will also buy back unopened high-proof liquor from bars, restaurants and some event planners if purchased in the past 30 days.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Ohio will also seek access to low-interest loans for small businesses and nonprofits to cover payroll and other bills through the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

The decision to close dining and drinking establishments earned praise from business groups and the bipartisan Ohio Mayors Alliance. The Ohio Restaurant Association urged Ohioans to support the state's 580,000 restaurant jobs by ordering takeout.

Children

Child care centers and in-home child care sites are still not affected by state orders to close all schools for at least three weeks.

DeWine has been signaling for days that they will eventually have to close and parents should remove children from child care if they can. DeWine said hospitals and medical facilities are setting up their own centers that would be exempt from the orders to close.

Election Day

Ohio's primary election on Tuesday will proceed as planned. Long lines were reported Sunday at early voting sites around the state.

DeWine said voting does not constitute "mass gatherings" under the state's ban on mass gatherings of more than 100 people. DeWine said canceling the election, which began Feb. 19 with early voting, would pose "some very, very serious consequences."

"People have the ability to separate at the elections," he said. "It is not a mass gathering."

Slowing the spread

Acton said the various measures the state is taking – banning large crowds, closing schools, limiting access at nursing homes – are to prevent a spike in infections that will overload hospitals.

She has compared the measures to pieces of Swiss cheese. Each action is not 100% perfect, but layered together they will make a difference.

“This is the real thing; this is not a drill," Acton said. "This is the once in a lifetime pandemic and everything each of us does matters.”

Most people who get the virus, Acton said, will feel like they have a cold or the flu and recover at home. The closures and pleas to keep a distance from others are meant to prevent people in high-risk groups –the elderly, immunocrompromised people and health care workers – from getting sick.

Ohioans with questions about coronavirus are encouraged to call the state's toll-free help line, 1-833-4-ASK-ODH or visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.