CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said his office sent a cease-and-desist letter to Hobby Lobby after reports that the craft supplies chain had re-opened its stores across the U.S., including Ohio.

Yost tweeted Wednesday afternoon about his office’s action and referenced the stay-at- home order Ohio Health Department Director Dr. Amy Action issued last week that required businesses not deemed essential to close for the time being because of the coronavirus pandemic.

(You can read the letter here or at the bottom of this story.)

“Hobby Lobby properly closed its stores during Ohio’s stay-home order,” the attorney general tweeted. “Now they’re open again — what’s changed? Neither the order, nor the seriousness of the health threat, for sure. I sent a cease & desist letter to their general counsel.”

Hobby Lobby properly closed its stores during Ohio’s stay-home order.



Now they’re open again — what’s changed? Neither the order, nor the seriousness of the health threat, for sure.



I sent a cease & desist letter to their general counsel. https://t.co/HVqDhFfhqo — Dave Yost (@Yost4Ohio) April 1, 2020

Business Insider reported Tuesday that Hobby Lobby on Monday reopened all 19 locations in Ohio. The company has several locations in Northeast Ohio, including Mentor, Solon, Macedonia, Stow, Fairlawn and Medina. Nobody picked up at any of the six stores when cleveland.com called on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health said in an email that officials on Monday spoke with employees at the Solon store and said the store had voluntarily closed.

Hobby Lobby did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The letter, written by Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Fulkerson to Hobby Lobby General Counsel Peter Dobelbower, notes that the health department director’s order provides guidance on what businesses are “essential” and can remain open. Those include grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies, among others.

“It does not appear that Hobby Lobby meets the criteria outlined in the Director’s order,” Fulkerson wrote. “On behalf of the Department of Health, you are ordered to immediately cease and desist operations.”

The letter states that the attorney general’s office may take measures if the company does not comply, which could include a second-degree misdemeanor or seeking a civil injunction. It also asks the company, if it feels that the business is “essential” under Acton’s order, to outline why it thinks that is the case.

The company has 900 stores nationwide and has tried to remain open in other states. Police and authorities have intervened.

Business Insider’s story said the company sent a memo to its store managers that instructs them on how to talk with local authorities if they’re questioned about why the stores are open.