After announcing new measures to help combat to spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during a statewide address on Wednesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he was expecting to receive pushback.
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So perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that Gov. DeWine was prepared to defend his decisions.
"We don't want to close anything. Nothing. But the buck does stop with me," Gov. DeWine said. "I can tell you and medical experts have told me, the hospitals told me, that at the rate we're going, this is not sustainable. We're going to have very bad consequences if this thing continues to go up at the rate it's going. And just look at how much it's jumping every single day.
"It's not a question -- it's not an option. The governor doesn't have the option not to do something. We have to take action. It would be totally irresponsible at this point not to take action."
Among the measures taken by Gov. DeWine on Wednesday was the reissuing of the state's mask order, with potential punishments for businesses that fail to enforce it. Gov. DeWine also said he would soon be issuing new orders regarding gatherings and activities and would spend the coming weeks evaluating whether to close bars, restaurants, fitness centers and schools if the state's coronavirus numbers don't improve.
On Thursday, Ohio reported a new daily record high of 7,101 new coronavirus cases. Additionally, all 88 of the state's counties are now to be considered to be "high incidence" in regards to the coronavirus.