Governor Mike DeWine spoke to the citizens of Ohio tonight in a state-wide address and asked for cooperation to stem the uptick in coronavirus cases. No new restrictions were announced by the Governor. Social media responded almost immediately with reactions from "is that all there is" to "this is what a leader looks like". The Governor did not outline any new mandates and at times the speech seemed more of a pep talk than anything else. DeWine asked for cooperation from all citizens to stem the tide of the virus by wearing masks any time you are out in public. He did not say there were no new mandates in the future but made it clear he felt cooperation could keep more restrictions from causing the state to close down again.
Here are some highlights. "If all of us do not take immediate action to slow this virus down, the tragedy that we see playing out on our television screens every day in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California may well be our reality in just a matter of weeks."
"Our future truly lies in our own hands." "We must keep the virus in check so that we can rebuild consumer confidence and keep this positive economic momentum going."
"Tragically, in just four months, we have already lost 3,075 Ohioans to this dreaded disease -- nearly the same number of Ohioans who died in the Vietnam War (3,094)."
"We must act -- and we must act now! This is not a drill. This is not a hoax. This is not a dress rehearsal. It’s the real thing. The enemy is here -- and Ohioans have simply come too far in this fight to cede ground now."
"I am asking each one of you, wherever you live in Ohio -- whatever the alert color of your county -- to wear a mask when you go out in public."
For the full speech see the video below.