DeWine Stresses Staying Home As Ohioans Head Into 'Toughest' Weeks Yet

Gov. Mike DeWine warned that Ohioans are headed into the “toughest” several weeks of the pandemic on Monday (December 21), urging people to stay home and take COVID-19 precautions.

“These next several weeks will be the toughest yet, and we can't afford to overwhelm our hospitals with a flood of new #COVID19 cases from the holidays,” DeWine tweeted, referencing the Stay Safe Ohio protocols in place. “If you are an employer whose employees can work from home, now is the time.”

He also noted Monday that the Ohio Department of Health outlines COVID-safe holiday activities, including a virtual snowman-building competition and an outdoor scavenger hunt for holiday lights.

Previously, DeWine also warned that “December, January and February are probably going to be hell if we don’t turn this thing around.”

The Ohio Department of Health tracked more than 629,000 total cases and more than 8,100 deaths statewide as of Monday.

DeWine encouraged frontline workers conducting COVID-19 tests to continue to collect phone numbers and other “vital information” for possible case investigation and contact tracing.

Though DeWine expressed concern about the spread of the virus over the next few weeks, he also noted that Ohioans significantly reduced travel over the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to a New York Times data map, “people in Ohio greatly reduced their travel and contacts with others over Thanksgiving,” DeWine said. “Compared to last year, there was a 60-70% reduction in the number of contacts people had over the holiday.

“Some did hold traditional Thanksgiving gatherings, which resulted in some #COVID19 spread, but those appear to be exceptions. Most Ohioans did well limiting gatherings,” he continued. “It’s critical that we keep up the work we started during Thanksgiving for the next several weeks to prevent another surge in January. If we can get through Christmas and New Year’s without a significant surge, we will be much better positioned to start 2021 against this virus.”

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