COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine held a press conference in Columbus on Tuesday with the latest news on the state's response to coronavirus.
There are now 67 confirmed cases in Ohio in 16 counties:
- Belmont (2)
- Butler (6)
- Coshocton (2)
- Cuyahoga (31)
- Darke (1)
- Franklin (4)
- Geauga (1)
- Lake (1)
- Lorain (4)
- Lucas (1)
- Mahoning (1)
- Medina (3)
- Stark (3)
- Summit (4)
- Trumbull (2)
- Tuscarawas (1)
17 people have been hospitalized.
DeWine has taken the forefront in the battle against coronavirus with sweeping decisions impacting all of Ohio, laying the groundwork before other states take similar action. That leadership continued on Tuesday with a number of decisions that were announced.
The governor issued an order to postpone any elective surgeries. The order comes serves as a preemptive measure to ensure that Ohio has as many resources available as coronavirus cases increase.
In addition, DeWine also discussed guidance when it comes to scheduling weddings and funerals, which have not been banned yet.
"The sun is going to come out again. We'll get back to normal. Regarding weddings, funerals - we ask you to figure out a way to celebrate your wedding but postpone the large gathering. For funerals, we suggest holding a small, private memorial, but do the large service later," DeWine told the assembled media.
RELATED: Gov. DeWine offers guidance on funerals and weddings amid ban on mass gatherings for coronavirus
DeWine was joined by Dr. Amy Acton of the Ohio Department of Health, who said there is no scenario now in which we don't see a surge of cases.
"But if we do nothing, the estimates were that 2.2 million Americans would die," Dr. Acton said. "If we do these measures in the absolute way they're intended -- again we have no vaccine -- but if we do them we can cut that hospital surge by two-thirds. What we're doing, everyone of us, can help contribute to that and it will decrease our deaths by half."
DeWine also added additional thoughts on postponing Ohio's primary election day.
"We are entering a more difficult time, and we're going to have more and more of our citizens who become ill," DeWine said. "We need to allow those citizens that become ill to be able to have opportunity at some point to vote. The longer we can spread that time out, the better that is."
You can watch the full press conference live in the player below:
From closing schools to shuttering movie theaters and banning "mass gatherings, DeWine has said, "This is a matter of life and death. We have to do this to save lives."
Read more about DeWine's decisions HERE.
After being highlighted on national news for his aggressive decisions in Ohio, DeWine's strategy has also caught the attention of President Trump.
When asked Tuesday about Ohio postponing Tuesday's primary election, President Trump stated that Gov. DeWine is doing a "great job" in handling the coronavirus situation -- including the decision to push for postponement of Ohio's primary election.
“If he called it off, I could understand that because he’s definitely somebody that knows what he’s doing.”
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