COLUMBUS, Ohio – Governor Mike DeWine – addressing the public Wednesday night for the first time since the daily record for new coronavirus cases was broken last week – urged Ohio residents to take precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19.
But the governor did not offer his own actions during the half-hour live speech, saying it was a “discussion for another time,” warning that the state could become the next epicenter of the coronavirus. Instead, the governor offered pleas and suggestions for the public to avoid a more catastrophic outcome if the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the state incessantly.
“As your governor, I will take the necessary steps to protect the people of this state,” said DeWine, a Republican. “But, what your local health department, or the Ohio Department of Health, or what I order is not as important as what we all do on these crucial days.”
DeWine’s speech came when the Ohio Department of Health announced 1,525 new cases of coronavirus, a new state registry, on Friday. DeWine has not yet spoken to the press about the record, other than a statement prepared Friday.
The state has increased more than 1,000 new cases per day in the past few weeks. Just a month ago, Ohio had only 428 new cases.
“Ohio is sliding down a very dangerous path, with our once-flattened curve beginning to sharpen and increase,” he said. “This troubling and disturbing reversal of our progress is a jarring reminder of how quickly our destiny can change.”
He warned that the state is approaching the coronavirus crisis seen in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California. But he said it can be reversed.
And he addressed critics who deny an increase in coronavirus cases in the state, saying there are only cases because there is more evidence.
“Yes, we are testing more,” he said. “In fact, our tests have increased 87%. But, our number of positive cases has skyrocketed by almost 200%. “
DeWine urged people to wear masks in public, saying that skeptics were denying the scientific evidence showing that facial linings slowly transmit the disease.
“Some may still question the wisdom of wearing masks, but as we used to say when I was a prosecutor, ‘the jury has returned. The verdict is in, ‘”he said. “There is broad consensus today in the medical, health and business communities that masks are critical.”
He quoted Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said that if everyone wore a covering face “now for the next four weeks, six weeks, we could take this epidemic to the ground.” DeWine also cited Goldman Sachs’ research that face masks are an alternative to blockages. Consistent use of masks would slow the spread of the virus and prevent an economic shutdown that would subtract 5% of the United States’ gross domestic product.
Although people have coronavirus fatigue, the curve that Ohioans have flattened is no longer flat, he said, noting that the Cincinnati and Dayton regions are seeing more coronavirus patients in hospital than at any other time in the past, with the Cleveland region rapidly approaching that point.
“Let’s be honest, some of us have started to let our guard down,” he said. “I know sometimes I have it. They were tired. We want to get back to how things were. “
How effective DeWine’s message will be remains unclear. A faction of lawmakers from his own Republican party have routinely questioned the governor’s pleas to cover his face, trying to equate its use as a violation of civil liberty rather than a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, critics of DeWine’s most direct approach since the state began reopening in May have increasingly called for it to implement a state-wide mask mandate, as more than 20 states across the country have imposed of an increase in cases.
The Ohio Democratic Party reacted immediately with disappointment after the speech ended.
“As someone who publicly praised the governor in the early months of this crisis, he couldn’t be more disappointed with his speech today,” said party president David Pepper. “As cases and deaths increase, he did not announce anything that changes that direction.”
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Ohio breaks record with 1,525 new coronavirus cases: update Friday
