Health Experts: DeWine handled the coronavirus crisis well

While Gov. Mike DeWine’s COVID restrictions over the last year attracted verbal fire from conservative lawmakers at the Statehouse, protestors against the mask mandate and businesses challenging restrictions in court, medical professionals say now DeWine did the right thing.

Dr. Steven Burdette, Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University, said DeWine was right to take the virus seriously from the beginning. Burdette said it came despite the situation in March, 2020 having a lot of unknowns.

“One year ago, from a public health standpoint there were so many uncertainties we couldn’t diagnose. We didn’t know the best treatment. We had so many challenges medically. And we had so many challenges medically and many challenges in public health. Being aggressive and not being in haste with decisions, I thought the Governor handled things well,” Burdette said.

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Burdette said one of the turning points came in 2020 when DeWine ordered the statewide mask mandate, calling it an effective move to slow the spread of the virus.

One advantage DeWine had in handling the crisis is his experience in other state and federal offices, according to Prof. Marietta Orlowski in the Department of Population and Public Health at the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

“I think this is where we benefitted from having a seasoned politician. The Governor and Lt. Governor had held a variety of roles in state government that allowed them to see the broad prospective of the impact of the pandemic,” Orlowski said.

On the one year anniversary of the Governor’s very first health restriction issued March 3, 2020, DeWine faced additional calls for change. This time it came from political rival Josh Mandel, a Republican candidate for U-S Senate. Mandel has been openly critical of DeWine and Wednesday called for removal of the mask mandate and  a lifting of all business restrictions. DeWine’s likely Republican primary challenger next year, former northeast Ohio Congressman Jim Renacci, also has been critical of the Governor’s decisions.

Cedarville University Political Science Professor Mark Caleb Smith said former President Donald Trump may be a factor in the 2022 primary and could support DeWine’s opponent.

“If there’s any candidate who can withstand it, it’s Mike DeWine,” Smith said.

DeWine has not reviewed his own performance in the crisis and critique the state’s response over the last year, but is expected to discuss it at his next briefing Thursday.

Cox Media Group