After Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called for bars and liquor stores to halt alcohol sales at 10 p.m. nightly, the state Liquor Control Commission met Friday morning and voted unanimously to approve his plan.
“This rule would prevent the sale of alcohol at all liquor-permitted establishments beginning at 10 p.m. each night (and) consumption of alcohol placed on the table must be completed by 11,” DeWine said Thursday.
According to the governor's spokesperson, the order is in place until further notice.
The order is in place until further notice, according to spokesperson for the Governor. @wcpo
— Courtney Francisco (@CFranciscoWCPO) July 31, 2020
The vote came down after Ohio residents and bars owners spoke in front of the commission and said the alcohol curfew would hurt businesses.
One person who owned a group of 11 Cincinnati based businesses said the curfew would likely cause employees to be furloughed again.
A bar and restaurant patron said they wanted to see the data that shows that businesses where alcohol is served past 10 p.m. are the cause of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases across Ohio.
Cincinnati owner of a group of about 11 businesses says they will be devastated if this goes into effect. @wcpo he says bars will have to furlough people again. He says people won’t get the extra $600 in unemployment due to congress starting today. @WCPO
— Courtney Francisco (@CFranciscoWCPO) July 31, 2020
Speaking later in the morning at a city of Cincinnati news conference, police Chief Eliot Isaac explained that enforcement of the new rule would be the responsibility of police departments across the state. (Other orders from Columbus, including the statewide mask mandate, have been enforced by public health workers.)
In Cincinnati, Isaac said, officers will respond based on civilian complaints and document any violations observed at area businesses. These violations could ultimately cost a rule-breaking establishment its liquor license, he said.
