Forget that Lake Erie walleye trip to Ohio for a while, non-resident license sales are suspended and visitors are asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Ohio suspends non-resident hunting and fishing license sales and asks visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days.

By Dale Bowman

Perry Monument as seen on Lake Erie a year ago during a walleye-fishing trip. Credit: Dale Bowman — Perry Monument as seen on Lake Erie a year ago during a walleye-fishing trip.

Ohio is tightening down in response to the coronavirus.

Ohio suspended sale of non-resident fishing and hunting licenses and also asked visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days. To put it plainly, as Ohio Department of Natural Resources director Mary Mertz noted, “making recreational travel unfeasible.” Or to put it even more bluntly, forget that road trip from the Chicago area for the bonanza of walleye on Lake Erie, at least for now.

Here are the key lead paragraphs to the announcement.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In response to the public health situation with COVID-19 and the Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) Stay at Home Order, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife is temporarily suspending the sale of non-resident hunting and fishing licenses until further notice. People entering the state are being asked to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days, making recreational travel unfeasible, said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. We look forward to reopening license sales when hunters and anglers can safely return. This temporary suspension goes into effect at midnight on April 6, 2020. Sales will resume when COVID-19 guidelines change or are lifted. While individuals who currently possess a non-resident hunting or fishing license may hunt or fish in Ohio, they are asked to abide by ODH guidance and self-quarantine for 14 days before they do so.

Click here to read the full release.

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