'Critical' Ohioans Have COVID-19 Safe Christmas, Governor Says

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio leaders are cautioning against large holiday gatherings because of the threat of COVID-19.

Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohioans actually cut their travel for Thanksgiving. Many Ohioans opted instead to have a quiet Thanksgiving inside their own home. That decision led to new COVID-19 cases plateauing in the Buckeye State.

Now, Christmas and New Year's threaten another surge.

"If we can get through Christmas and New Year’s without a significant surge, we will be much better positioned to start 2021 against this virus," DeWine said. "It’s critical that we keep up the work we started over Thanksgiving for the next several weeks to prevent another surge in January."

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the chief medical officer for the state health department, echoed DeWine's sentiments. He urged Ohioans to follow the Stay Safe Ohio protocols throughout the end of 2020.

"Up to and through Thanksgiving, Ohioans took important steps to avoid letting COVID-19 overwhelm our hospitals, but in spite of this, our hospitals remain extremely busy," Vanderhoff said. "Adding a post-holiday spike would create a terrible situation, so we can't let ourselves be lulled into a sense of complacency as we move into the next two-week period, the biggest holiday season on our calendar."

Here are the Stay Safe Ohio protocols:

• Stay home — Ohioans should only leave home for work, food and school.
• Wear your mask — Any time you are around someone who does not live with you, a mask should be worn. If a loved one has COVID-19, you should wear a mask around them.
• Keep interactions short and stay apart
• Wash your hands — Use soap and water and wash your hands for 20 seconds and then rinse them clean. Wash your hands after any excursion to a public place, before preparing food, after touching an animal, or after touching something dirty.
• Work from home
• Celebrate safe, celebrate small
• Don't eat or drink with anyone outside of your home
• Limit travel
• Keep weddings and funerals safe — Postpone these events, if possible, or use a virtual forum instead of gathering in person.
• Enjoy safe holiday activities — Visit drive-thru light displays with members of your home, keep gatherings to close or immediate family, and utilize virtual forums for bigger celebrations.