Governor DeWine COVID-19 Banner [ [link removed] ]
*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
December 10, 2020 *MEDIA CONTACTS:*
Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
Breann Almos: 614-644-0957



COVID-19 Update: Stay Safe Ohio Protocol,
Curfew Extension, Sports Variance

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today provided the following updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

*STAY SAFE OHIO PROTOCOL*

Governor DeWine today unveiled the new Stay Safe Ohio Protocol. The protocol was developed in partnership with medical professionals across the state to inform Ohioans how to safely live with the virus.

Protocal

Governor DeWine was joined by medical professionals throughout the state to explain the importance of the protocols [ [link removed] ].

*CURFEW EXTENSION*

Governor DeWine announced today that the Ohio Department of Health will be extending the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. statewide curfew until January 2, 2021.

The curfew does not apply to those going to and from work, those who have an emergency, or those who need medical care. The curfew is not intended to stop anyone from getting groceries or going to the pharmacy. Picking up carry-out or a drive-thru meal and ordering for delivery will be permitted, but serving food and drink within an establishment must cease at 10 p.m.

COVID-19 is the single greatest threat to the physical well-being of all Ohioans, the mental health of our citizens, and our economic security, said Governor DeWine. We must do everything we can to slow down the spread of this virus.

The decision to extend the curfew was made with input from the medical and business communities with consideration to the economic impact and health care system.

The extended order can be found at coronavirus.ohio.gov [ [link removed] ].

*OHIO PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY SYSTEM*

New health data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) showed sustained severe exposure and spread (Purple Level 4) in Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark and Summit counties. Ashland and Guernsey counties were moved to the Watch List.

Noble, Harrison and Washington counties moved to Red Level 3 for the first time since implementation of the Advisory System in April.

Ohio also had 11,738 new cases reported between yesterday and today, which is the fourth highest case court to date. A total of 452 new hospitalizations were reported, as well as 111 deaths.

Advisory Map

A county-by-county breakdown outlining the presence of COVID-19 in all of Ohio's 88 counties can be found on theOhio Public Health Advisory System's website. [ [link removed] ]

*SPORTS VARIANCE*

The Ohio Department of Health will issue a variance to the curfew for specific sporting events in Ohio. The start times of these games are dictated by national television contracts, and as a result, the games would not be finished until after the 10 p.m. curfew.

More information will be available at coronavirus.ohio.gov in the coming days.

*DINE SAFE*

Lt. Governor Husted encouraged Ohioans to do what they can to support local restaurants during this time, whether its by carrying out a meal at least once a week or by ordering delivery. He also recommended giving out restaurant gift cards as gifts for family and friends this holiday season.

*ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT*

As another update in Ohios economic recovery, the Lt. Governor discussed two new projects that are putting Ohio on the map as far as innovation in transportation technology.

*Agility Prime*: Earlier today, the Lt. Governor joined officials from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton Development Coalition, JobsOhio, City of Springfield, BETA Technologies, and Joby Aviation to participate in a virtual groundbreaking event for a new advanced urban air mobility technology simulator facility at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport.

The Air Force recently launched the program, which seeks to accelerate the commercial market for advanced air mobility aircraft and create a robust domestic industry and supply chain to support their development and production.

*Waymo:* Last week, Waymo one of the world leaders in autonomous driving technology announced their plan to develop new proprietary features at TRCs SMARTCenter to help them advance their Waymo Driver self-driving system and driverless Class 8 truck. This is a big win for Ohio as its thefirst time Waymo has established a permanent presence at a third-party test site.

The Lt. Governor underscored what these announcements mean to Ohios recovery and how they attract investment, new technologies and workforce development.

This can really be an important part of the foundation for our economic recovery in 2021, Lt. Gov. Husted said. We really welcome these new investments from companies who are outside of Ohio who are bringing their investments to Ohio to start brand new innovations, brand new companies and brand new technologies that we hope will benefit Ohioans for generations to come.

*FOODBANKS*

First Lady Fran DeWine encouraged Ohioans to consider donating to The Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which serves all 88 counties. The Ohio National Guard has assisted foodbanks throughout the state this year in distributing more than 79 million pounds of food.

More information about how to donate can be found at OhioFoodbanks.org/Coronavirus [ [link removed] ].

*CURRENT CASE DATA*

In total, there are 531,850 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio and 7,298 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 31,142 people have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic, including 5,090 admissions to intensive care units.In-depth data can be accessed by visitingcoronavirus.ohio.gov [ [link removed] ].

Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on theOhio Channel's YouTube page [ [link removed] ].

For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visitcoronavirus.ohio.gov [ [link removed] ]or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

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