DeWine sees risks ‘no matter what we do’ amid reopening

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is acknowledging that there are risks to reopening Ohio’s economy following closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, but he says “it’s really a risk no matter what we do.”

The Republican governor dialed into the economic toll the pandemic has had on businesses during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”

“The economy’s not going to open no matter what we do, whatever we order, unless people have confidence,” he said Sunday. “And we’re trying to give them confidence.”

So, he said, officials are emphasizing that the virus is still out there and “still very, very dangerous” so people should continue maintaining social distance, wearing masks and washing their hands.

Retail businesses in Ohio will be allowed to reopen Tuesday. Barbershops, hair salons, day spas, nail salons, and other services can start reopening Friday. Construction companies, distributors, manufacturers and offices were allowed to open last week.

DeWine said the state had been “hit very hard” by the crisis with more than a million people applying for unemployment, so “we have to move forward.”

“And we know it’s a risk as we start the economy back open,” he said. “But it’s a risk if you don’t too … with, you know, not being able to come back economically.”

“My message to my fellow Ohioans has always been, we can do two things at once, but we can only do them if we’re very, very careful about it,” he said.

The governor said the state will continue to monitor daily hospitalization rates which are currently “pretty flat.”

DeWine said he is also pushing for more testing as the reopening progresses. “The testing and tracing is an integral part of what we’re doing,” he said.