With Ohio in the third week of COVID hospitalizations setting a new record each day, Gov. Mike DeWine laid out two new health orders and previewed the possibility of a limited shutdown. The announcement got mixed reviews from state lawmakers.
The two orders require masks and inspections at retail stores, and require people in open areas indoors 鈥� such as reception halls and bars 鈥� be seated and masked unless eating or drinking with no dancing and games.
And they were the right message, said Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) in suburban Cleveland. Dolan said Ohioans need to remain vigilant about staying six feet apart, washing hands and especially wearing masks.
鈥淭o do that we鈥檙e going to increase our enforcement. I鈥檓 hoping what he means by that is that it鈥檚 actually a civil and not a criminal offense, but we鈥檙e going to look into that,鈥� Dolan said.
But not all Republicans are on board.
Rep. Jon Cross (R-Kenton) is from Hardin County in western Ohio. He stated publicly in June that he wouldn鈥檛 wear a mask, and said he doesn鈥檛 think there鈥檚 a science to masks stopping all COVID, saying he鈥檚 known both people who wear and don鈥檛 wear masks who鈥檝e gotten it.
鈥淲e have our local law enforcement telling us 鈥榳e鈥檙e not going to be the mask police鈥�. Create a law. And once that law is created, the judicial branch will make sure it鈥檚 constitutional and then it can go into the Ohio Revised Code and therefore law enforcement can do that. When the governor is issuing mandates, it is very challenging between the court system and others to enforce those mandates.鈥�
Cross said he feels he鈥檚 getting mixed signals on mask wearing 鈥� though the federal has been saying for months that masks work, and there鈥檚 been .
Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) of suburban Columbus said she鈥檚 hearing confusing messages too. But she said they鈥檙e coming from people who are ignoring evidence.
鈥淭his virus doesn鈥檛 care about party affiliation. It doesn鈥檛 care about county boundaries. It doesn鈥檛 care about health jurisdictions. We are in a very dangerous stage with this virus where it is spreading and growing exponentially.鈥�
House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) was more direct 鈥� that Dewine 鈥渘eeded to stand up to the bullies within his own party as he did in the spring鈥�. DeWine in early March 鈥� the largest mass gathering event to be cancelled at that point 鈥� and was later that month.
But Cross said since and e, he feels there鈥檚 a mandate for Trump鈥檚 message that Ohio鈥檚 economy needs to be totally open.
And Cross wants more legislation to put some checks on DeWine鈥檚 authority. There's already a bill to , among other bills, and DeWine vetoed a measure that would . Cross is pushing so they can鈥檛 be shut down.
And Cross said he has a message for the governor 鈥� that DeWine needs to work with lawmakers to pass legislation that can be enforced rather than instituting mandates that can鈥檛.
鈥淕overnor, you can work with us now or you can work with us later. But the Ohio House starts to put together the budget and we control the dollars, and if we think there鈥檚 an overreach by the governor, spending money that we don鈥檛 think is being spent correctly, we can address those situations,鈥� Cross said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all a part of negotiations. It鈥檚 not a threat.鈥�
While the more moderate Dolan said he is concerned about an order that DeWine said could come soon to shut down bars, restaurants and fitness centers, he said working together is imperative right now.
鈥淭his is not time to throw the governor under the bus. This is a time to figure out how we can all work together to get us through till the end when the vaccine comes. And we have to cooperate when the vaccine comes,鈥� Dolan said. 鈥淭his is going to be a monumental task to get that out and done as quickly and efficiently as possible.鈥�
And Russo also isn鈥檛 convinced that shutting down bars, restaurants and fitness centers is needed. But she said she鈥檚 worried about what might happen in the next few weeks with the virus spreading rapidly, especially in counties that were carried by Trump.
鈥淭hat is incredibly difficult when we have members within our General Assembly within the building at the Statehouse, which I think just speaks volumes about the disregard for people鈥檚 health and safety,鈥� said Russo.
The Ohio Restaurant Association has, and a lawyer said there鈥檚 an existing injunction that prevents them from being shut down again.
But the Ohio Hospital Association is praising DeWine鈥檚 actions, saying the state is at a "defining moment" in this pandemic.
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