Thread by @GeoffWSYX6

2PM WITH @GovMikeDeWine: bit of a delay today on the state's end, so we're stuck staring at a familiar pandemic screen so far.

Governor's news conference set to begin in a few moments, and I'll tweet the updates here...

THIS IS A NEW ONE: former New Jersey governor @ChrisChristie is on the governor’s Zoom briefing today.

DeWine: “For my fellow Ohioans who have said that until now this virus did not impact their family...the message to them today is, it’s now serious.

We need every one of you...to be fully engaged in this battle.”

DeWine introducing @ChrisChristie: “He said he wore his mask for weeks...and then he didn’t.”

Christie was in the ICU with COVID-19.

He penned a national op-ed today and DeWine wants him to talk about it.

Christie to DeWine: “You’ve been a consistent strong voice since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Christie: “I thought I was safe, and I was wrong...I was assured, sitting in the 3rd row of the Amy Coney Barrett event...everyone in debate prep, had been tested. And so I took my mask off...only for the time I was inside those (@WhiteHouse) gates.”

Christie: “Three days later, I began to feel what I call the freight train of symptoms that happen with COVID-19...it overcame me in a period of 24 hours.”

Christie: “I will tell you, it is a frightening experience...this is one of the most unpredictable, random and brutal viruses you’ll ever see.

With my history as an asthmatic since I was 13-years-old, (doctors) were very concerned where this would go.”

Christie: “I came out of this okay, and I’m very fortunate. I still feel some of the symptoms...but I survived. It could have gone the other way, and for 220,000 other Americans, it has.”

“I made a huge mistake by taking that mask off.”

Christie: “The thing that adds to it, is you’re in isolation...behind 2-inch thick glass. They would hold up a white board...and I had a white board to write back to them.”

Christie: “You start to think about life and death...it’s like getting beaten up from the inside out. That combination of physical and psychological stress is unique in my life.”

Christie: “As tired as you are of strapping that mask on...you will take those days in a heartbeat, compared to getting this disease.”

Christie finishes up: “I support what you’re doing out there...what the governor’s advising you to do is exactly the right thing...you’re all in my prayers.”

DeWine: “You look good!”

All right, onto the meat of the new numbers today shortly...

BREAKING: Ohio sets another new daily COVID case record with 2,425 new cases.

DeWine: “Of the ten highest days of cases reported, 8 have occurred in the last 9 days...it does not seem like we are even starting to get to a plateau.”

Another jump in hospitalizations today for Ohio: 159 new patients admitted with COVID-positive test.

DeWine: “The blue-shaded counties (on this list) are high-incidence counties...over 100 cases per 100,000 (people) is how that’s measured.”

Fayette and Ross counties in Central Ohio are still almost triple the CDC guideline for high incidence.

NEW: now 38 counties are RED (Level 3) and 3 counties are on watch to go PURPLE (Level 4)...

DeWine says those counties may already meeting the Level 4 indicators, but must do that for two straight weeks to go PURPLE.

DeWine: “Only 1% of Ohioans are living in a yellow county.”

DeWine pivoting to the #PurduePharma opioid epidemic settlement: “This is the beginning of justice...I congratulate the Department of Justice. This is good news for the American people.”

Over to @LtGovHusted on job training/apprenticeships available in Ohio.

Now DeWine begins Q&A and is asked what happens if a county goes PURPLE, for schools, etc.

Remember, no actions are tied to any of the levels/colors.

DeWine: “What is reflected in schools, as far as COVID spread, depends on what’s going on in a community...you’re almost bound to have some spread in your schools.”

DeWine: “The schools, I believe, are doing a good job...the indicators are, we are *not* seeing significant spread within schools.

Same way with colleges, we don’t see much spread in classrooms...we’re really seeing spread throughout society, people letting their guard down.”

DeWine talking again about the study planned in Ohio to go into schools (with consent/permission) and test student populations (with consent/permission) to analyze how coronavirus spreads within Ohio schools.

DeWine on the Buckeyes and fans gathering to watch: “The risk is not going to be in the stands...it is the gathering as we watch the Buckeyes and how we gather together...you can watch the Buckeyes, but you don’t have to watch them with a large number of people. Wear a mask.”

DeWine (cont’d): “As far as teams coming from high incidence states: we’re a high incidence state.

Some people might ask, what’s the propriety of having these football players come in? The reality is, they’re tested quite often.”

DeWine is asked about Thanksgiving, and “people coming in from all over”...Christie noted that testing alone made him “overly sure.”

DeWine: “Frequent testing is good, but it doesn’t mean that you change your behavior. Wear a mask.”

DeWine (cont’d): “It may not be the same Thanksgiving you’ve had in the past...you mix a bunch of families together, it just doesn’t make any sense.”

DeWine on another question: “We’re always going to have people out there who make arguments that just don’t make any sense and aren’t based on science. There’s nothing we can do about that...we believe in the 1st Amendment.”

DeWine is asked about people not listening to mask advisories, and whether to expect any shutdowns.

“Well, we still have time...I would hope those of my fellow Ohioans who said ‘it doesn’t impact me’...today I’m saying it’s time to pay attention. It’s getting worse every day.”

DeWine: “Government cannot mandate, unless we’re in China...to come knocking on your door and check if you’re having a party!

Ohioans are tough, pragmatic people...it’s time to get serious.”

DeWine on election: “My advice to citizens who are concerned about going and voting on Election Day, there’s plenty of time still to request an absentee and vote...there’s many opportunities for people to vote.”

DeWine (cont’d): “Undoubtedly there will be some poll workers who have a medical problem, and if they get it...they’re susceptible to the outcome not being great. Let’s help them out by wearing a mask.”

DeWine is asked when we can get some “real data” (contact tracing) to track the spread of COVID for ourselves.

“What we have had so far was a system not designed for the pandemic...we’re going to give (tracers) a field of things to ‘check’ when it comes up in an interview.”

DeWine says in “many, many, many cases,” it cannot be determined where exactly a person contracted coronavirus.

DeWine (cont’d): “What we have now is notes that have been taken, you can go through and do a ‘word search’...but if you search ‘bar’ and the tracer has written ‘not in a bar,’ that would still show up.”

Sounds rather imperfect.

DeWine is asked how much schools should be considering the color-coded map, in bringing kids back to the classroom or sending them back home for virtual learning.

DeWine essentially says (again) it’s up to the superintendents and school boards.

DeWine (cont’d): “There’s no magic to this...these are judgment calls being made by good people, under very, very, very hard circumstances.”

DeWine is asked if Ohio will allow schools/businesses to require COVID vaccinations.

“We encourage people to get flu shot, all kinds of shots. We would encourage for kids, but the law is the law.”

Businesses...we generally allow those judgment calls to be made by the employer.”

DeWine is asked “why not hold Ohioans accountable for a mandate they’re supposed to be following,” re: masks.

“Every time the situation has gotten dire, Ohioans have stepped up and I think they will again when they see the data”.

DeWine (cont’d): “I will day this: if someone’s working in a business where the mask order is not being enforced, we would like the hear about it. And we will take action...threatening your health and safety, you should not have to work under those conditions.”

DeWine is asked about spread at political rallies: “Our team told me that they had not seen from the local health departments, any indication that happened...doesn’t mean it couldn’t but they told me they had not seen any examples.”

Says he was wrong to suggest otherwise on Tues

DeWine on using convention centers as overflow hospitals: “I have every confidence in the system that’s been set-up...we had well-defined plans for a build out that did not happen in the spring. It’s not what we want to see, but there is room to grow.”

DeWine is asked about “time to turn this around...” how much time before new orders?

“We’re gonna have to see...I’m an optimist and I think Ohioans are going to react to this...the tools Ohioans collectively have far exceed any tool I have, no matter what order I issue.”

DeWine is asked about getting compliance with masks, etc. Do people not trust Gov, news outlets?

“Maybe they’re not watching our press conference and maybe they’re not watching you at 6 o’clock...people are getting their information from a lot of different places today.”

DeWine (cont’d): “People are just tired. It’s a struggle...when we win it, we want as many Ohioans there to celebrate as we can.

Ohioans can pull together, this is something we can do...it’s in our best interest, each one of us, to do this.”

DeWine closes with this new ad, very visually attempting to demonstrate the “domino effect.”

He returns Tuesday.