NEWS

Columbus, Franklin County residents urged to stay home for next 28 days

Emma Scott Moran
The Columbus Dispatch

To help stop the spread of COVID-19, Columbus and Franklin County leaders are asking residents to stay at home for the next four weeks except for work, school or other essential needs.

Officials said the health advisory will go into effect starting at 6 p.m. Friday, and will last 28 days. The advisory will not be enforced with penalties such as fines or police action, but officials said that could happen if the numbers continue to rise.

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CPH FCPH Stay At Home Advisory_11.18.20_FINAL.pdf

"I'm not going to mince words: We have entered a dangerous time in our fight against COVID-19. This surge is much scarier than we saw in the spring or again in the summer," Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said at a news conference Wednesday.

Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said the advisory is being issued along with Franklin County Public Health "due to the rapid rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the city and county."

In this file photo, Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, right, listens as Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts talks about the recent increase in COVID-19 cases during a news conference.

People are asked to leave home only to go to work, school or for essential needs, such as going to the pharmacy, seeking medical care, picking up food or getting groceries. 

The stay-at-home advisory also urges residents to avoid traveling, not have guests in their homes unless they are essential workers, and limit indoor and outdoor meetings to 10 people or less. That includes avoiding gatherings with family and friends for Thanksgiving.

"Thanksgiving for my family, just like yours, is a traditional thing. It is very, very important to all of us," Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady said. "But we have to sacrifice one Thanksgiving to be able to get to the next." 

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Roberts said Columbus and Franklin County are experiencing rapid increases in COVID-19 cases. The county's seven-day average of new cases went from 143 on Oct. 1 to 742 as of Sunday. The number of hospitalizations in the region, she added, is the highest number of patients at any time during the pandemic.

"At the end of the day, this is personal. The virus is raging among our friends, our families, our schools, our churches, our neighborhoods. If you don't know someone who was infected, you will soon," Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said. 

Dr. Andrew Thomas, an internal medicine physician at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said the three health systems serving adults in Franklin County have seen an 82% increase in the number of hospitalized COVID patients.. 

"We cannot sound the alarm bell loud enough," Thomas said. "People need to change their behaviors."

Roberts said that while the new the advisory won't be enforced with fines or police oversight, that could change unless the number of cases drops. 

The city suspended enforcement of 72-hour parking limits for residential streets early in the pandemic and has not yet reinstated them. Those parked on residential streets not requiring a parking permit can park beyond 72 hours without being ticketed. But if you park in a permitted area without a permit, you can be ticketed, said Robin Davis, Ginther spokeswoman. 

On Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine announced a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., stay-at-home curfew that will start Thursday and last 21 days. Retail businesses also are expected to be closed by 10 p.m. except for necessities such as grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants for carryout and deliveries. Gas station convenience stores also are exempt. 

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DeWine announced the new restrictions as Ohio posted 7,079 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a drop from recent days but still the sixth-highest day of the pandemic. 

Hospitalizations swelled to a near-daily record of 368, with a record 3,648 virus patients now needing advanced medical care. A record 897 people were in intensive-care units. 

EScottMoran@gannett.com

@emmascottmoran