Delaware, Ohio, Louisiana Latest to Issue Stay-at-Home Order

(Bloomberg) --

Delaware, Louisiana and Ohio are joining California, Illinois and New York in mandating all residents stay at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Ohio’s health director issued a “stay-at-home” order that also closes non-essential businesses beginning Monday at 11:59 p.m. and going through April 6, when the state will re-evaluate the need for the restrictions, Governor Mike DeWine said.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a statewide stay-at-home order that goes into effect at 5 p.m. Monday, as the state’s number of confirmed cases have topped 800.

Ohio’s order excludes essential activities, certain types of work including taking care of others, and essential businesses such as hospitals and grocery stores, he said.

DeWine had previously closed schools, bars, restaurants and other businesses and backed closing the polls in the state’s primary last week under a health emergency. But the outbreak has reached a new stage requiring more drastic actions, he said.

“We are certainly at war,” DeWine said at a press conference in Columbus. “In a time of war, we have to make sacrifices.”

While the order can be enforced by local health departments and law enforcement, DeWine said on Twitter that “we don’t look to see a bunch of people arrested” and that the order is meant to convey the seriousness of the situation.

Ohio has reported three deaths related to coronavirus with 351 confirmed cases on Sunday, an increase from 247 cases on Saturday.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce said it supports the order with the exceptions.

“Today’s announcement was made out of necessity and only as a last resort, and we applaud the governor for allowing businesses that perform essential operations or provide essential services, and those in their supply chains, to continue to operate in an as-close-to-normal manner as is practical,” Chamber President and Chief Executive Andrew Doehrel said in a statement.

Also on Sunday in Ohio, the state Board of Pharmacy approved a rule limiting prescriptions for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, drugs President Donald Trump is promoting for coronavirus treatment without approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Ohio board approved the rule because of concerns the drugs won’t be available to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions.

There has been a huge uptick in prescriptions of the drugs with hoarding, and “we need to make sure that they are being used in the most appropriate way,” DeWine said on Twitter.

Delaware Governor John Carney issued a statewide stay-at-home order that goes into effect at 8 a.m. Tuesday, noting essential and non-essential businesses.

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