COLUMBUS, Ohio -Gov. Mike DeWine announced that all Ohio bars and restaurants are being ordered to close -- except for carryout and delivery -- at 9 p.m. Sunday.

“What we can’t have is people congregating, and people who are sitting," he said. “So carryout is fine. And delivery is fine.”

Ohio may be one of the first states enacting such sweeping measures to food and beverage establishments. Shortly after DeWine’s announcement, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said they will close by the end of Monday.

DeWine said he was sympathetic toward small business owners and their employees losing business two days out from St. Patrick’s Day -- saying his family comes from a small-business background. But he said that if the state doesn’t act now, an increased number of people will die.

“We wish at the next St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is going to be there, everyone will have the opportunity to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day,” he said. “Not only that but celebrate they had the opportunity to have their life, and live their American dream. But if people are not around, they can’t do that. So this is a very, very crucial time. Delay means more people will die.”

He said on Sunday morning people all over the state -- including from the Cleveland area -- sent him concerning texts about people out on Saturday night.

DeWine is signing an executive order to enable workers who don’t have paid leave benefits to access unemployment during the coronavirus emergency.

“This also applies to companies that determine it’s temporarily necessary to shut down operations due to the emergency,” Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said.

More information is at unemployment.ohio.gov. Or 877-644-6562.

37 cases confirmed, but likely more unconfirmed

As of Sunday afternoon, 37 people across 11 counties have tested positive for coronavirus in Ohio. The age range is 31 to 86, with a median age of 53.

Thirteen are women and 23 are men. Eleven people are hospitalized.

The illness onset ranges from Feb. 7 through March 13, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said.

But she had caveats: “Cases can be very misleading to the public," she said. "Because it’s a past historical event. Because of the lack of the testing. Cases are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Public health experts believe the number of infected people is vastly higher -- possibly over 100,000 of Ohio’s 11.7 million residents. But there are shortages in available testing, as well as many people who are asymptomatic.

Acton said that hospitalization is often two weeks after a person gets infected. Deaths can be about four weeks after that.

One confirmed case is a firefighter. The firefighter’s entire station is self-quarantining and monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms, Acton said.

“That means that firefighter was sick and asymptomatic for six to 14 days,” she said.

Republican reaction

On Sunday morning, he said officials were considering closing bars and restaurants. That hint of an announcement drew criticism from other Ohio Republicans, including Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

There are over 22,000 food service locations in Ohio, said the Ohio Restaurant Association in a statement to its members.

The association statement said its leadership had been in contact with the DeWine administration recently.

“We asked for and successfully received an exemption from the State to specifically allow restaurants and foodservice locations to continue to offer takeout, curbside pickup and delivery of food to customers,” it said.

“We know this difficult decision was made in consultation with leading health experts, including Dr. Amy Acton, who are recommending actions to keep Ohioans safe during this unprecedented time,” said Andrew E. Doehrel, president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce in a statement. "We support Governor DeWine’s decision because we believe taking steps now to confront the coronavirus will ultimately benefit our state by limiting the spread of the disease and enable Ohio to get back to normal sooner.”

Schools

Starting Monday at the end of the school day, all private and public schools will be closed at least until April 1, with many children engaging in e-learning from home. That announcement was made Thursday. Yet on Sunday, DeWine said he told school districts they should prepare for more than three weeks of no classes.

“Certainly the odds are that three weeks are not going to do it, we’re not going to be far enough along in this pandemic.”

Stats

Acton said in a moderate COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., 200,000 intensive-care unit beds will be needed. But only 45,000 are available and many are currently occupied.

There are roughly 160,000 ventilators available -- 60,000 that are considered full-service and modern and 100,000 that are older and more mechanical.

“If we do these measures now, we’ll greatly reduce the need for these,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important. So the actions we take now will have an effect in mitigating these kinds of numbers.”

In a moderate outbreak, there will be more than one city hit hard at one time. There will be surges in several American cities at once, she said.

‘Broad community spread’

The 36 cases -- and the unconfirmed and asymptomatic -- are likely a combination of people who have traveled to parts of the world where there’s a high infection rate, as well as person-to-person spread within Ohio communities, Acton said.

“We’ll continue to see cases that are travelers,” she said.

There are 33 people from Ohio who are on a cruise ship docked in the San Francisco area, she said.

“People are coming back from Europe, as you can see in the news today,” she said.

But disease is rapidly spreading from person-to-person in Ohio.

“We have broad community spread in the state right now,” Acton said.

Small biz, nonprofit loans

The state is applying to the U.S. Small Business Administration for small businesses and nonprofits to get relief during the pandemic, Husted said.

Small businesses affected could apply for a low-interest loan of up to $2 million for lost revenue due to the coronavirus.

Nonprofits will also be able to borrow money, if the federal government OKs Ohio’s request, Husted said.

Bars can return liquor

Husted said that bars have undoubtedly purchased more liquor than they’d normally need for the crowds the owners expected for St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness.

Bar and restaurant owners can return unopened, high-proof liquor products to the agency where they bought them.

“We hope this will receive some of the chronic economic strain that the businesses might be experiencing during this time,” Husted said.

Other coronavirus coverage:

36 people in Ohio have confirmed coronavirus: Ohio Department of Health’s Sunday update

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine: State could close bars and restaurants over coronavirus, extend school closures through rest of the year

26 confirmed Ohio coronavirus cases: Gov. DeWine’s Saturday briefing

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