COVID-19 Update: Liquor Sales
April 7, 2020
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Dr. Amy Acton, MD, MPH, provided the following update on Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSION VOTE:
The Ohio Liquor Control Commission passed an emergency rule to allow establishments with an existing on-premises liquor permit to sell and deliver alcohol, including high-proof liquor in limited quantity, for off-premises consumption.
Breweries can also now sell beer and wine that are not their own without food purchase, but food purchase is required for the sale of high-proof liquor.
Under the rule, patrons can purchase no more than two drinks per meal. All drinks must be closed and remain closed during transport as per the open container law cited in ORC 4301.01(B)(6). Drinks cannot contain more than two ounces of spirituous liquor per container.
This rule will remain in effect for up to 120 days unless rescinded by the Liquor Control Commission, whichever occurs first.
Similar emergency rulings have been enacted recently in other states, such as New York and Texas, to provide some financial relief to restaurants and bars that have had to close their dining rooms to contain the spread of COVID-19.
As always, patrons are encouraged to drink responsibly and obey all applicable laws.
CURRENT OHIO DATA:
There are 4,782 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 167 deaths. A total of 1,354 people have been hospitalized, including 417 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page.
For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.