By 1808Delaware
Ohio’s 10 PM to 5 AM curfew will be extended past its expiration date this coming weekend, Governor Mike DeWine said in his Thursday briefing.
Look, we would love to get rid of it, DeWine said. The culprit that will keep it around is the arrival in Ohio of new, more contagious strains of the COVID-19 virus and the uncertainty that creates.
The curfew began in mid-November, and was extended an initial time the next month.
DeWine also announced that the State has purchased two million rapid COVID-19 tests for distribution to local health districts. These tests can provide results in as little as 15 minutes.
Also on Thursday, the weekly release of the numbers of cases in Ohio schools took place. For Delaware County, that release represented concerning news as numbers remained high, led by figures submitted by Olentangy Local Schools.
A month ago, there were 122 reported cases in Delaware County schools, which at the time was the highest week reported. On Thursday of this week, 129 cases were reported in Delaware County schools, representing 97 students and 32 staff. This high number was fueled by levels in Olentangy Local Schools, which had 64 students and 25 staff test positive.
Districts or schools shared the following levels of infection:
Big Walnut — 11 students
Buckeye Valley — 5 students
DACC — 1 student
Delaware City — 8 students, 6 staff
Olentangy — 64 students, 25 staff
St. Mary — 4 students
St. Paul — 4 students, 3 staff
While located partly in Delaware County, Westerville Schools are not included in that number, as it is reported through Franklin County. There were 19 new student cases and 7 new staff cases there.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, “A report of COVID-19 should not be interpreted as an indicator that a school district or school isn’t following proper procedures—school cases can be a reflection of the overall situation in the broader community. Families and staff should always feel free to ask questions of the school district or school.”
