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Gov. Mike DeWine: 'Wear A Mask Every Time You Go Out In Public'

Gov. Mike DeWine holds up a face mask at a press conference April 6, 2020. [Office of Gov.  Mike DeWine]
Gov. Mike DeWine holds up a face mask at a press conference April 6, 2020.

In a special address from the Ohio Statehouse Wednesday, Gov. Mike DeWine urged all Ohioans to wear face masks no matter where in the state they live, but declined to issue any new statewide requirements.

"Tonight, I'm asking each of you to take action now," DeWine said. "To sacrifice now so that our kids can be in school this fall. So they can at least have a chance to play sports. So businesses can remain open. So that Ohioans can continue earning a living, a paycheck, and support their families."

Speaking alone from inside the governor's office, DeWine re-emphasized a point he's been making for months: Face masks are widely accepted by health professionals and businesses as an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"Wear a mask very time you go out in public," he urged.

During Wednesday's address, however, DeWine declined to order any additional health requirements or issue a statewide face mask mandate, as more than 20 other states have already done.

"That discussion is for another time," he said.

So far, DeWine has targeted 12 counties with health orders requiring face coverings in public, in areas where the spread of COVID-19 is most extreme. But for the remaining of the state's 88 counties, masks remain optional.

More areas may be added to the list on Thursday, when DeWine is expected to update the state's Public Health Advisory System, which rates individual counties on the severity of its outbreak.

 

Daily New Confirmed & Probable COVID-19 Cases In Ohio
Infogram

DeWine repeatedly praised Ohioans for their actions early on in the pandemic, which he said helped buy critical time for the state's health care system to build hospital capacity, obtain PPE and other supplies, and bulk up testing. He praised residents for taking a "collective leap of faith in a battle against an invisible enemy."

Ohio was the first state in the nation to shutter schools and move to entirely online learning in the spring. With the help of former Health Department director Amy Acton, DeWine also helped lead the way in shutting down restaurants and other businesses.

By mid-May, DeWine started to reopen Ohio's economy again with outdoor dining, followed soon by indoor dining, bars, movie theatres, salons, zoos, offices and more. All those businesses have new safety restrictions in place, but in recent weeks, COVID-19 cases started trending upward again.

Last month, when DeWine was asked if the state could once again close businesses if cases spiked, he responded, "We certainly are looking at that, but we hope not to face that choice."

So far, the governor has refrained from closing down any parts of the economy again. But DeWine acknowledged that the state is losing ground in its once-promising fight against the coronavirus.

"Once things start moving downhill, they move very quickly," he warned. "And it's so very, very hard then to turn things back around."

Ohio has reported at least 1,000 new COVID-19 cases every day for the past week, compared to about half that number just three weeks ago. DeWine called that reversal of progress "disturbing."

Since July 5, the number of hospitalized COVID patients has increased every day, from 730 to 1,027. And on Wednesday, the Department of Health reported the highest single-day increases in hospitalizations and ICU admissions in months, with 160 new hospitalizations and 36 new ICU admissions in just the last day.

DeWine said the state is now approaching the same number of hospitalizations as it did during the pandemic's first peak in March and April.

"If all of us do not take immediate action to slow this virus down, the tragedy that we see on our television screens every day in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California may well be our reality in just a matter of weeks," DeWine said.

DeWine also said that many people have let their guard down when it comes to social distancing. He questioned whether events like reunions, cookouts and playdates are "worth it."

"This virus will end. It will end," DeWine said. "And don't we all want to be around when it does?"

The state's ban on mass gatherings of more than 10 people remains in place. However, like the face mask mandates, enforcement falls to the state or local health departments, rather than law enforcement agencies, many of which say they  refuse to enforce health orders.

 

Copyright 2020 WOSU 89.7 NPR News. To see more, visit WOSU 89.7 NPR News.