COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine spoke publicly for the first time in three days on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Ohio.
More than 37,000 state residents have been infected with the disease, and more than 2,300 of those have died. However, new case numbers and hospitalizations have been on the decline over the past two weeks.
DeWine was originally scheduled to speak on Thursday, but ended up canceling the press conference out of respect for the memorial of George Floyd, the black man who died at the hands of a white Minnesota police officer. The governor touched on the Floyd situation again today, saying that he plans to have proposals to address racial disparities in the state in the coming days and that he has also removed an Ohio National Guardsman from assignment in Washington, D.C. after white supremacist sentiments were found on their social media.
While there was no Thursday briefing, DeWine did announce several Ohio institutions would be allowed to reopen next week, including zoos, playgrounds, and museums. Amusement parks were not included on the initial list, prompting Kings Island in the Cincinnati area (owned by the same company as Cedar Point) to file a lawsuit accusing the executive branch of "unconstitutional" measures to keep them closed.
On this day, though, the governor gave amusement and water parks the green light to reopen on June 19, noting these locations were separate from the original announcement as they had submitted their own individual safety plans. Casinos and racinos will also be allowed to start back up, and the Memorial golf tournament in Dublin will be permitted to take place in July with some fans in attendance.
DeWine will be joined as usual by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, MD. 3News air their remarks live in their entirety, and you can watch them again below:
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