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California, Illinois, Ohio order closure of bars amid coronavirus pandemic

Ohio, Illinois close restaurants, carry-out permitted
Posted at 4:10 PM, Mar 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-15 18:05:22-04

California, Illinois and Ohio took wide-ranging steps Sunday to ensure social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsome ordered that all bars, nightclubs, wineries and brew pubs to close. He also asked those 65 and over to self-isolate.

California's announcement came just hours after Ohio and Illinois have ordered that bars and restaurants should close amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered that all bars and restaurants in his state should close by 9 p.m. on Sunday. Shortly after, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that all restaurants would remain closed from Monday through March 30.

Restaurants will remain open for delivery orders in both states.

During the press conference, DeWine said he and his team are working to mitigate the fallout from these closures, especially the impact they have on small businesses and employees who will be out of work.

As of Sunday at 2 p.m, there are 36 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ohio and 350 people are under investigation, according to Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio Department of Health. Sixty-six people in Illinois are confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.

Starbucks also announced Sunday evening that it would only take "to-go" orders at its restaurants, and would close all the cafe seatings at the locations.

Across the country, there are more than 3,000 confirmed cases of the disease and at least 62 deaths.