(24/7 News Source) -- Governor Mike DeWine is extending the state's coronavirus curfew. He announced Wednesday that the 10pm to 5am curfew will now be in effect at least through January 23rd. DeWine says he made the decision because health officials don't yet know the impact the holidays will have on Ohio's COVID-19 infection rate.
Governor DeWine also is breaking with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it comes to school students exposed to COVID-19. CDC guidelines call for students who were in close contact with a classmate who tested positive for the virus to go into quarantine. DeWine today said that's no longer necessary, as long as masking and social distancing policies were followed. He added that the data shows, quote, "schools are the safest place for our students, even in the midst of the pandemic."
More than eight-thousand new COVID-19 cases were reported in Ohio Wednesday. An additional 133 coronavirus-related deaths. Another 366 people have been hospitalized to be treated for the virus.