OHIO — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s mandatory mask order that covers Montgomery, Butler and five other counties in central and northern Ohio does not have the backing of several state lawmakers from the Miami Valley.
The order requires anyone over the age of 10 and does not have a health problem to wear a mask when they are near non-family members in a public place.
Rep. J. Todd Smith, R-Farmersville said he believes DeWine has the legal authority to issue the order, but he does not support it.
“I think it is an over-step. There is a reason why you have local county health commissions. They are closer to the scene. They know what is going on locally,” Smith said.
His initial concern was whether the order would apply to people in a place of worship. He checked with the Governor’s office and found people will not have to wear a mask there.
Smith’s district includes some of southwestern Montgomery County where the order applies and eastern Preble county where the order does not apply.
Smith says he has already heard from people in the district who are opposed to the order. According to DeWine the order is based on the number of new cases in each county recently.
Montgomery County is among the top seven across the state for new cases.
Meanwhile in many other counties in the region where cases have not gone up dramatically they are not included in the order.
That is where Rep. Susan Manchester, R-Waynesfield, has also found constituents opposed to the mandate. Her district covers Mercer County and portions of Auglaize, Darke and Shelby counties. She personally opposes the mask mandate as well.
“I don’t think we need to start criminalizing people for forgetting to wear a mask or for doing things that frankly might not be intentional or something people forgot,” Manchester said.
She and other lawmakers weeks ago had asked the governor to consider basing his restrictions on conditions in individual counties rather than making orders that apply to the entire state. DeWine agreed and set up the county maps and ranking system that shows which counties have the most problems.
Manchester said thankfully her part of the state will not have to deal with the restrictions Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland are facing. “I am encouraged that the Governor is handling this on a county-by-county basis because throughout the pandemic my district has not had a high caseload,” Manchester said.
Rep. Nino Vitale, R-Urbana, has become the most outspoken critic at the Statehouse of DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Dr. Amy Acton until she resigned. On his Facebook page Vitale said “They make no sense. Stop listening to these frauds.”
Vitale also encouraged people to stop being tested for the coronavirus. He posted a graphic with photos of actor John Wayne wearing a cowboy hat and a bandana around his neck along with a photo of DeWine wearing a mask.
The images are with a graphic asking “Where has our independence gone?”
Lawmakers in other parts of the state have encouraged mask usage. Also, in direct response to DeWine’s order, the Ohio State Medical Association and several other doctors groups launched a public service campaign designed to encourage people to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Cox Media Group
