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Gov. Mike DeWine Says Ohio’s Rising COVID-19 Numbers Are “A Gut Punch”

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Gov. Mike DeWine says he’s concerned because the spread of COVID-19 continues to worsen in Ohio.

DeWine said when you take the 18 counties in the red, which means very high exposure and spread, and you combine them with high incidence counties, it’s a significant part of the state on Ohio’s coronavirus map.

The Ohio Public Health Advisory System Map for Oct. 8
[ODH]
This map showed some rural counties in the red that hadn’t been in there before. Red is the color that triggers many school districts to opt for online or remote learning options.

DeWine said “it’s a gut punch.”

“This has got to stop. These lives are valuable. These lives matter. We can do better than this.”

DeWine is urging people to stop getting together without masks.

He said the spread of COVID-19 is the biggest threat to forcing the closure of schools. But he refused to condemn President Trump’s remarks downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19 and likening it to the flu.