Ohio governor, hoping to change course, set to make address
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Week after week, Gov. Mike DeWine has stepped behind a lectern, first in a private room at the Ohio Statehouse and now at his farm in Cedarville, to plead with the more than 11 million residents of his state to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
The twice-weekly briefings have become a staple in many Ohioans’ lives as the state grapples with the uncomfortable and uncertain new way of life since the virus began to spread in the U.S. in early March.
But DeWine skipped the briefing Tuesday, instead announcing that he wants to address the people directly, without taking questions from the media, during a statewide address scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
DeWine will discuss “the critical stage Ohio is at in battling COVID-19 and its impact on Ohio moving forward,” according to a news release Tuesday.
This will mark the governor’s second statewide address in eight months. At the beginning of the pandemic, DeWine’s aggressive moves won him praise but have since made him a target of fellow Republicans who strafe under many of his mandates. More recently, he has tilted toward messages of personal responsibility, following the direction of governors in Republican-leaning states who resisted wide crackdowns.
His first address took place in mid-July as Ohio experienced its first peak after reopening its economy in May.
The highly anticipated speech turned out to be a longer version of his weekly briefings, filled with comparisons to to the death tolls taken by the 1918 flu pandemic and the Vietnam War. In that address, DeWine implored Ohioans to wear face coverings at all times when they are in public, but he issued no mandate.
He would not go on to issue one until more than a week later, on July 23, succumbing to pressure from constituents, public health officials and Democratic lawmakers in the state.
Months later, the state is still under that statewide mask order, although DeWine and local officials have made no effort to enforce it. But what Ohio is seeing now is a peak unlike what happened in the spring and summer.
The number of daily virus cases exceed 6,000 on Tuesday, marking a stark jump from 1,400 this time last month. Hospitalizations are also on the rise, with more than 2,700 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 related symptoms. Of those hospitalized, 327 are on ventilators.
Doctors across the state warned Monday of a dark winter to come if hospitalizations continue at this rate.
“The capacity issues we face now are different from what we experienced in the spring,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, who was appointed chief medical officer at the Ohio Department of Health by DeWine on Thursday. “What we are seeing now is an increasing demand on our staff.”
DeWine, 73, who has been elected to almost every position in Ohio during a 40-year political career, said in a briefing last week that the infection spread within the state is not happening at bars and restaurants, but instead at family and social gatherings where few wear masks or socially distance.
Ohio has seen 5,547 COVID-19 related deaths to date, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University, making the death count the 13th highest in the country overall.
Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by more than 106%.
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Farnoush Amiri is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
