Ohio’s governor says an order requiring masks to be worn in public may include “a lot more counties” next week as COVID-19 continues to spread in the state.
Gov. Mike DeWine said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he is still considering a statewide mask mandate.
TODAY: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) tells @ChuckTodd that his state is “going the wrong way” on COVID infections and “would not rule out going state-wide” with a mask mandate. @GovMikeDeWine: “You wear the mask for other people. You wear the mask to protect your grandmother.” pic.twitter.com/GoldOAe9fk
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 19, 2020
On Thursday, the Republican governor ordered Ohio residents in 19 counties, including almost 60% of the population, to wear a mask in public.
DeWine said the increase in COVID-19 is occurring in bars, churches and out-of-state travel.
“But a lot of it, frankly, is just people in casual settings, 20, 30, 40, 50 people gathering together," DeWine says.
Last Friday, DeWine vetoed a bill from the Ohio legislature that would have lowered the fines and eliminated jail time for violating health orders.
