COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held his first coronavirus-related press conference of 2021 on Tuesday afternoon. Here's a quick rundown of some of what was highlighted:
COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATE
DeWine announced that the vaccination of those in Phase 1B -- which includes adults 65 years or older, those with developmental disorders including Sickle Cell or down syndrome and all teachers and staff at K-12 schools planning to reopen for in-person learning -- will begin in approximately two weeks.
"We hope in approximately two weeks from now to be starting in on this 1B group," DeWine said, noting that the timeframe is dependant on how much of the vaccine and how quickly Ohio can receive it from the federal government.
"STAND YOUR GROUND" BILL SIGNING
It may not be related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Gov. DeWine made headlines Monday after signing the "stand your ground" bill. Reaction has been polarizing with some praising Gov. DeWine for his decision while others are condemning the legislation.
"I made a commitment when I ran for governor that I would sign a bill like that," DeWine said on Tuesday when he was asked why he signed the bill. "It puts us with the majority of states, not the minority of states that have something very similar to that."
With DeWine's signature, Ohio becomes the 36th state to no longer require people to retreat before they can justifiably hurt or kill someone with a gun in self-defense.
ALSO THIS...
It's Gov. DeWine's 74th birthday today.
You can watch DeWine's entire briefing from Tuesday in the player below:
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