DeWine: Veto on SB 22 and other takeaways from Thursday’s news conference

Ohio has seen a decline in the key metric the state is using to determine how long health orders will remain in effect, Gov. Mike DeWine said during his Thursday news conference.

>> Ohio expected to drop in cases per 100,000; when could the state reach the goal

DeWine reported the state is down to 155 cases per 100,000 people, which is down from around 180 cases per 100,000 last week.

Previously, DeWine said the state will remove all health orders when the state reaches 50 cases per 100,000 and remains there or drops for two weeks.

The following announcements were made during the briefing:

• DeWine, when asked about the passage of Senate Bill 22 said he’d veto the legislation passed by lawmakers calling the bill unconstitutional. The bill passed both legislative houses and was designed to limit the powers and orders that a governor can issue.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Health Order Oversight Bill Passes, May Face DeWine Veto

• DeWine on SB 22: “I’m very concerned about a future governor and health departments around the state not having the tools to keep the people of this state safe.”
• DeWine: “It would be absolutely irresponsible to do anything but veto this bill.”
• DeWine said he hopes to have a public dialogue that would satisfy the concerns brought up by lawmakers.
• DeWine will issue a formal statement on the veto to the public soon.
• DeWine said he anticipates that full capacity crowds will be allowed by summer in sporting venues if the state continues on the track its currently going. He also anticipates that if things continue on the current trends the state could also ramp up outdoor attendance numbers above the current 30 percent threshold before many minor league baseball games start in May. “I look forward to full ballparks this summer. We control our future,” DeWine said.
• DeWine released guidance for county fairs saying the state expects to have full county fairs when they get underway across the state starting in June. DeWine said some limitations including numbers of fans in the grandstands and mandatory mask wearing will be in place. However, DeWine said some of the guidelines could be relaxed or eliminated pending on the status of cases by late spring.

• DeWine discussed some updated guidance for students playing spring sports and mandatory quarantines. The guidance that changed today relates to students with a possible COVID-19 exposure in the classroom. Students who have an incidental, school-based exposure, will no longer have to quarantine from high school sporting events. Student athletes with a COVID-19 exposure outside the classroom can return to school sports after 10 days, without a COVID-19 test, or seven days with a negative test result.

• DeWine said he anticipates the state will hold at the 50 and older age number for vaccine eligibility for an amount of time, after the latest phases were added today. When asked if other groups of people, including other conditions would be given eligibility, DeWine said the state will still use age as the primary factor to determine eligibility, but they will monitor for potential changes.
• The state has announced a partnership between local health departments and libraries for at-home COVID testing. DeWine said around 200,000 kits will be shipped to educational service centers in an effort to increase confidence and safety in schools.
• DeWine discussed new federal guidelines on nursing home visitations. The guidelines require responsible indoor visitations at all times, regardless of vaccination status, with some exceptions. When a new case of COVID-19 is identified, visitation should be restricted until testing can be completed. If the first round of testing reveals no additional COVID-19 cases, then visitations can resume in areas without COVID-19.
• The state’s order on visitations will be revised to allow for in-room, indoor visits at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
• According to DeWine the bottom line is visitation is allowed but some restrictions could be in place depending on the number of cases at the facility or the county in which the facility is located.
• Indoor nursing home visits can be limited for unvaccinated residents when the county positivity rate that the nursing home is located is greater than 10 percent and less than 70 percent of residents in the nursing home are vaccinated.
• Nursing home visitations can also be limited for any resident who is COVID-19 positive or in quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.
• DeWine himself admitted the federal guidance was “complicated.” For further understanding on the guidance Ohioans are asked to check the state’s coronavirus website, coronavirus.ohio.gov or the Ohio Department of Aging website at aging.ohio.gov.

• Lt. Gov. Jon Husted received his first vaccine shot live during the news conference at his hometown in Montpelier.

• DeWine started his press conference by talking about his visit to Springfield earlier today. DeWine called the Springfield clinic a “very impressive operation.”

• DeWine said today’s press conference is the 150th since the start of the pandemic.

Cox Media Group