Coronavirus in Ohio: Gov. Mike DeWine to give 5:30 p.m. speech on how Ohio is handling COVID-19

Refresh this page closer to 5:30 p.m. to watch the governor’s address here.

DeWine: Wear a mask. Now 

If you want kids in school in the fall, if you want businesses to state open, wear a mask, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. 

To those questioning the science of masks, DeWine snapped: “The jury is back. The verdict is in.”

“There is a broad consensus today in the medical, health, and business communities that masks are critical,” he said.  

But masks won’t be enough, he said. Ohioans have let their guard down, he said. Skip that family reunion or neighborhood cookout or play date, he said. 

“We’re all tired of being cooped up,” he said. “Good decisions will protect the economy and save lives. Reckless ones will hurt and kill.”

– Carl Weiser

Ohio risks becoming another Florida

Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine warned that Ohio is on course to imitate outbreaks in hard-hit states like Florida and Arizona. 

“In four short weeks in Florida and Arizona, .their world changed,” he said. “And, if we do not change course, Florida and Arizona will be our future.’ 

Ohio is “sliding down a very dangerous path,” he said. The next few weeks will determine what happens, he said. 

– Carl Weiser

Coronavirus ‘spreading with a vengeance’

The coronavirus is “spreading with a vengeance” across much of Ohio, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. 

Hospitals are seeing more patients, and areas like Cincinnati are seeing more COVID-19 patients than at any time. 

The rise in cases is not the result of more testing, he said, though Ohio is indeed testing more. 

– Carl Weiser

Ohio at ‘the most critical point’

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Wednesday warned that Ohio was its “most critical point” yet in it’s fight against the novel coronavirus – and faced the prospect of becoming a pandemic epicenter like Arizona or Florida unless citizens take action. 

“If all of us do not take immediate action to slow this virus down, the tragedy that we see playing out on our television screens every day in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California may well be our reality in just a matter of weeks,” the Republican said in his dinner time speech.

DeWine said he would not be announcing new mask rules, or ordering any shutdowns – yet. 

“That discussion is for another time,” he said. 

– Carl Weiser

COLUMBUS – Gov. Mike DeWine will give a rare evening address tonight, which his spokesman said will be “a conversation with the people of Ohio about where we are and where we go from here.” 

The 5:30 p.m. time slot should allow DeWine to reach Ohioans who are busy at work during his now twice-weekly2 p.m. news conferences. 

Just weeks ago, Ohio seemed to have a grasp on the coronavirus. Throughout May, Ohio started to reopen businesses shuttered since March. Hospitals weren’t overrun. The curve appeared flattened.

But in recent weeks, DeWine has started to sound the alarm about a rising number of COVID-19 cases, first in Southwest Ohio and then in other parts of the state. An increase in testing revealed spread that might have otherwise remained hidden. 

DeWine introduced a county-by-county map showing where spread of the novel coronavirus was most rapid. Most residents in 12 counties, including Hamilton, Butler and Clermont, are required to wear a mask indoors. 

Twelve counties are listed as red on Ohio’s new county-by-county alert map.

 (Photo: ODHS)

“People are beginning to understand that we don’t want to end up as Florida. We don’t want to end up as Texas,” DeWine said last week. “God love them and their citizens, but we don’t want to see that. We don’t want to see Ohio on TV like that.” 

Democrats have called on DeWine to implement a statewide mask mandate, similar to ones in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Michigan. So far, Ohio’s Republican governor has stuck to a county-by-county approach instead while encouraging mask use everywhere. (DeWine recently changed his Twitter profile to a picture of him wearing a mask.)

DeWine and other governors in the Midwest have stopped short of closing businesses previously permitted to reopen. The exception is Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, who has closed indoor portions of bars in many counties. On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf imposed some limits on restaurants and bars. 

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