CEDARVILLE, Ohio — As he does each Thursday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine addressed the state's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at 2 p.m.
RELATED: More coronavirus coverage from WKYC
What follows are some of the subjects DeWine discussed when speaking to reporters this afternoon:
Debate
Earlier this week, Ohio found itself the center of attention as Cleveland hosted the first debate of the 2020 general election between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
And while DeWine has already made it clear that he supports the president, he began today's briefing by admitting the debate "wasn't our country's finest hour," and expressed dismay at the lack of discussion of actual issues.
In particular, Trump made national headlines for frequently interrupting Biden and declining to disavow white supremacist groups when given the opportunity to do so. Afterward, DeWine took to Twitter to congratulate Trump on his performance, but today broke with the president (though without directly calling him out) in sharply rebuking white supremacy and fringe groups "on both sides."
"We simply must not allow hate to prevail over love, over kindness, and over compassion," DeWine said.
COVID-19 risk level
Richland County has joined Ashland County among Northeast Ohio areas currently at a Level 3 risk for the coronavirus, with Richland now being on a watch list for peak Level 4. Stark County dropped to Level 2.
You can watch DeWine's entire press conference again in the player below: