![Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) [Office of Gov. Mike DeWine]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d41b77d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3648+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2020%2F06%2F885186021_766681619.jpg)
As Ohio continues to see a concerning spike in cases of COVID-19, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) is asking people to take social distancing seriously and wear masks before things get worse.
The number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise at a rate the governor calls "worrisome," along with new increases in hospitalizations.
The Ohio Department of Health is reporting 51,046 total , confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, an increase of 737 new cases on Monday. The current 21-day average for a daily increase is cases stands at 581. That daily average increase was at 494 last week.
With a spike in new cases in states across the country, DeWine is urging Ohioans to wear masks and observe social distance.
But he stopped short of making masks in public mandatory.
"We control our future. We do not want our future to be what we're seeing in Texas. We do not want our future to be what we're seeing in Florida. We can control it. We determine what this thing is going to look like in two or three weeks by what we do today," says DeWine.
Watch: DeWine reviews the latest COVID-19 numbers
The governor said the state could return to stronger public health orders, such as business closures, as a last resort if things get worse.
DeWine also announced that the ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, aside from certain sectors, will be extended through the end of the week. The previous order was set to expire July 1.
Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.
