Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was one of the first governors to start closing down his state when the coronavirus hit, but now he’s offering one of the first economic reopenings in the nation.
DeWine, a Republican, announced Thursday that Ohio will begin to reopen some of its businesses on May 1. The governor has a stay-at-home order in place until May 1 and opted not to extend it as he begins to roll out his plan for relaxing some of the social distancing guidelines.
The governor noted that the state will have to adjust its behavior until a vaccine, which could take up to 18 months to develop, is ready. While new trends such as wearing masks and social distancing may stay in place, he warned that leaving the economy shuttered could lead to other public health crises such as drug abuse or homelessness.
“We must get this right. If we do not do this right, the consequences are horrendous,” DeWine explained.
DeWine said he will start to announce strategies for reopening, including mandating that businesses take temperatures, sanitize facilities, and require face masks until the virus is contained by vaccines or therapeutics.
“The world that we’re going to see is a different world,” DeWine said. “Barriers, distancing, all the things we have talked so much about. The workplace is going to change.”
The exact details of his plan will be released in the coming weeks, including announcements as to whether schools will reopen before the end of the academic year. He said his team has begun to strategize how larger events will take place in the future, including sporting events and state fairs.
“The thought of kids wouldn’t be able to take their lambs to show is — I think that’s just horrible,” DeWine noted. “It’s something we all have to work through. … They’re challenging. That doesn’t mean they can’t be done.”
He later added, “I will fight just as hard to bring this economy back, as I have to fight to save lives of Ohioans. That is our commitment to you.”
DeWine led one of the earliest coronavirus responses in the nation. He began planning for the pandemic in February while many states and the federal government waited to take action until March. He was also one of the first governors in the nation to move a primary election date because of the virus.
As of Thursday, Ohio had nearly 7,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 362 related deaths. Ohio is one of seven Midwestern states that agreed to coordinate its economic reopening. It is not clear if the other states involved will begin reopening on May 1.
