Governor Mike DeWine said opening up Ohio’s economy after the lockdown measures taken in response to the CCP virus pandemic should happen gradually, saying, “We can’t turn a switch.”
The states’ economies are being severely tested by the outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a type of novel coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, with lockdown measures and stay-at-home orders still in place in virtually every state.
“No matter what I order, whenever we open up, however we do it, if people aren’t confident, if they don’t think they’re safe, they’re not going to go to restaurants, they’re not going to go to bars, they’re not going to really get back into society,” DeWine said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
DeWine said that as long as there’s no remedy for the disease authorities, businesses and citizens should stay extra-vigilant as the disease may relapse very easily once it is deemed subdued, especially for the elderly and those at risk due to other medical issues.
“There are people who are particularly vulnerable, [who] from a medical point of view are going to have to be very, very, very careful,” he said. “I think that sometimes we all think we’re going to turn a switch, and we’ll get back to normal, and that’s just not going to happen.”
DeWine did not dwell on as to who has the final say on whether or not to open up the states’ economies, the governors or the president.
“Every state has different… and we’re going to have to lay out a plan, and I’m confident the Ohio plan we lay out, the White House will think is fine,” DeWine said, according to QFM69.
President Donald Trump said Monday he would make a decision in the near future on reopening the country after conferring with governors and other officials, as the White House forms a second CCP virus task force with the intention of restarting the shuttered economy.
“For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media are saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government,” Trump wrote Monday on Twitter.
….It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2020
Trump said that the notion that governors are the ones who are responsible “is incorrect.”
Trump is able to issue federal regulations to prevent the spread of the virus. However, it is not clear if he has the authority to reverse public health restrictions put into place by state or local authorities.
The White House has recommended people avoid nonessential travel and places like restaurants, as well as keeping in-person gatherings to 10 people or fewer until the end of April.
Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
