COLUMBUS (WCMH) — After reports surfaced that Hobby Lobby reopened their stores across the state of Ohio despite the state’s ongoing stay at home order, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sent them a cease and desist letter.
“Hobby Lobby properly closed its stores during Ohio’s stay-home order. Now they’re open again — what’s changed?” Yost questioned in a tweet Wednesday afternoon. “Neither the order, nor the seriousness of the health threat, for sure. I sent a cease & desist letter to their general counsel.”
The cease and desist letter says, in part:
It does not appear that Hobby Lobby meets the criteria outlined in the Director’s order. On behalf of the Department of Health, you are ordered to immediately cease and desist operations. If you do not immediately comply with the order, the Attorney General’s Office may take all appropriate measures. If you believe that your business meets the terms of the Director Acton’s order, please clarify the basis for your assertion within 24 hours. Note that a violation of a director’s order during a pandemic may be punished criminally as second-degree misdemeanor or enforced by civil injunction pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 3701.352 and RC 3701.99(C
Just a few hours later, Yost announced Hobby Lobby will close all stores in Ohio on Wednesday night to comply with the cease and desist order.
Stay with News 2 for continuing coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
