COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine held his latest press briefing Tuesday regarding Ohio's response to the coronavirus, although he also addressed the unrest brought to the forefront by the killing of Minnesota's George Floyd.
In regards to COVID-19, more than 36,000 Ohioans have contracted the disease, and more than 2,200 of those have died. While restrictions on citizens have slowly been being lifted, DeWine has warned the virus is still a real threat, and will likely remain that way for months.
The governor last addressed Ohioans on Saturday, but the main topic of conversation was not the coronavirus. Instead, he spoke of the various protests taking place across the state in support of Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer handcuffed him and knelt on his neck for several minutes. That officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been fired from the force and is currently charged with Floyd's murder.
The Floyd case has sparked outrage across the United States, in particular among the "Black Lives Matter" movement against police brutality. Groups organized demonstrations around the country (including in places like Cleveland and Columbus), but while DeWine has stressed the vast majority of those expressing their frustrations did so in a peaceful manner, there were still scenes of destruction and looting of businesses across the state caused by a small fraction of people.
The governor activated the Ohio National Guard in response to the violence, and several cities have since put curfews in place. Besides the looting, police have also come under fire for their seemingly liberal use of teargas and other methods to disperse crowds.
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DeWine was joined by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton. You can watch their full remarks again in the player below:
