CLEVELAND, Ohio — The mayor of Columbus and the city’s health department are asking City Council to approve legislation to place restrictions on the hours of operations for bars and restaurants.
The ordinance will require those businesses to close at 10 p.m. each evening effective Tuesday, July 28.
Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts are asking Columbus City Council to approve legislation to place restrictions on the hours of operations for bars, nightclubs and restaurants.
A recent report from the Center for Public Integrity said Columbus and Cleveland were among 11 cities that needed to take “aggressive” steps to limit the virus spread.
The latest COVID-19 numbers show Cleveland has 4,032 confirmed cases while the Columbus has 12,031.
In response to an email from 3News about whether the city of Cleveland is considering the same curfew, officials responded writing “there is currently no curfew for bars or restaurants. If that changes, we will advise via the City of Cleveland’s daily COVID-19 updates.”
Ward 6 Cleveland Councilman and Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Blaine A. Griffin says they’ve not talked about doing something similar yet.
“I can tell you there’s been an enormous amount of frustration on almost every street in this city regarding house parties and large gatherings,” he says. “If we close down bars and restaurants at ten o’clock those folks are going to go to somebody’s house and party.”
Griffin says if they end up having these discussions about bars and restaurants the possibility of a curfew wouldn’t be totally off the table and he would err on the side of what’s best for public health.
There is community responsibility at play as well and he says the house parties need to stop.
“If we don’t take these serious measures, we’re going to have to shutdown again and I’m not sure a lot of people will be able to survive if we have another major shutdown in this city.”
If passed, the Columbus ordinance will require those businesses to close at 10 p.m. each evening effective Tuesday, July 28.
Initially, the city's proposed ordinance required businesses to close at 11 p.m. Ginther and Dr. Roberts announced the earlier closure in a briefing Monday discussing how to slow the spread of COVID-19.
According to the mayor's office, Columbus Public Health determined it is in the best interest of public health to place these restrictions to limit exposure to COVID-19 based on recent data showing an increase in diagnosed cases and community spread.
“We are at a critical point in our fight against COVID-19 which continues to spread and increase in our community,” Dr. Roberts said.
“We must use every tool at our disposal to prevent the spread of disease. Shortening the time that people gather in groups will help reduce the risk not only to those who participate, but the entire community. This reduction – along with face coverings, social distancing and hand washing – will help protect health and save lives.”
The order would not limit the capacity of these businesses so long as social distancing and other mandated precautions are used. It would not impact outdoor dining or carryout operations.
Columbus Public Health will enforce the new order which will include a warning for the first violation. A fine of $500 will be levied for a second violation and $1,000 for subsequent offenses.
Repeat violations may subject owners/operators to injunctive action to close the establishment.
The legislation will be given to city council at their meeting on Monday, July 27.