First responders and those traveling to or from their job outside of the city are exempt

STRUTHERS, Ohio (WKBN) – As government and health care officials remind Ohioans of Governor Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order, the mayor of Struthers is taking the message one step further.

“We’re just trying to be proactive when it comes to this because I think this is something that might catch on around here,” Mayor Cat Cercone Miller said. “I know a lot of other cities are doing it around the country right now.”

On Wednesday night, Cercone Miller issued an executive order, imposing a curfew on all residents of the city between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Struthers becomes the first community in the area to take such steps, but Cercone Miller said it’s not about setting a precedent. Rather, it’s meant to further enforce the governor’s orders.

“We don’t feel, in our city at least, that there’s really any essential business that needs to take place during those hours,” she said.

Exceptions to the curfew will be for first responders, as well as residents who would be coming or going to their jobs outside the city.

The mayor said the initial response has been favorable.

“We have worked with our businesses here in Struthers and they’ve all been cooperative with everything because they understand.”

Initially, police will issue warnings to those caught violating curfew. Officers may even send notices or citations through the mail to owners of vehicles seen driving after hours by using their license plate and registration information.

The curfew goes into effect at 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

You can read the full executive order below:

Mayor Miller announced her intention to sign, if she hasn’t already done so, Executive Order 2020-01 declaring a state of emergency in the City of Struthers and establishing a curfew starting tomorrow night between the hours of 11:30 pm to 5:00 am. The curfew prohibits any person from being out within the corporate limits of the city for any reason except (i) police, fire and other governmental services, (ii) traveling to or from an essential business located outside the City’s limits or (iii) medical emergency.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to say the curfew starts Thursday night, not Wednesday night. We regret the error.