UPDATE: Illinois joins Ohio in closing all restaurants and bars

UPDATE:

Illinois is now closing all of its bars and restaurants starting tomorrow night:

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is ordering the closure of all bars and restaurants in the state through the end of March.

— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) March 15, 2020

Pritzker says: “I tried earlier this week to appeal to everybody’s good judgment…the time for persuasion and public appeals is over … this is not a joke.”

— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) March 15, 2020

Tuesday’s primary, however, is stil on:

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will not postpone Tuesday’s primary. “Democracy must continue.”
He also says, “If we delayed the election, it is unclear when we might be able to hold another one…”

— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) March 15, 2020

ORIGINAL POST:

Breaking news out of Ohio where Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the closure of all bars and restaurants in the state starting at 9 p.m. tonight:

We will be issuing an order closing all bars and restaurants in #Ohio beginning at 9:00 tonight.

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 15, 2020

Carry-out and delivery are still OK though:

Establishments can stay open for carry-out and delivery. What we can't have is people congregating and seated. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady pic.twitter.com/3EaBWeeMdr

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 15, 2020

This is a bombshell moment that will probably be repeated in other cities and states:

I'm aware that this will impact many, many good workers. I can't tell you how sorry I am, but we will work to mitigate the suffering. It is our goal for everyone to get through this. #COVID19 #COVID19OhioReady

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 15, 2020

More:

Every day we delay, more people will die.

If we do not act and get some distance between people, our healthcare system in #Ohio will not hold up. The loss won't only be those impacted by #COVID19, but the danger is also to everyone else who needs hospital care for other issues.

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) March 15, 2020

***

Editor’s note: This post has been updated.