Gov. Mike DeWine on reopening Ohio economy: 'The monster is still loose and it's going to be out there'

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Gov. DeWine: We don't want to open too soon and have cases go back up

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on plans to start reopening state on May 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine spoke with Bill Hemmer Friday on the plans to start reopening his state on May 1 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"So as I told the people of Ohio yesterday, the monster is still loose and it's going to be out there in Ohio and across the country until we get, you know, the shot that will take care of and will protect us," DeWine said on "Bill Hemmer Reports," assumably referring to a coronavirus vaccine.

"So we've got to continue to be very, very careful. People who have compromised medical conditions have to be very, very careful. But we think we can do this," he continued.

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"There's been businesses that have been allowed to stay open because they were essential. And some of them, most of them have done a very, very good job in being safe," DeWine added. "And so we think there are other businesses out there, frankly, that aren't really essential, technically. But that would be similar or I would just try to start with them and sort of open the state back up. But we're going to be very, very careful."

The governor made it clear that while his state has made progress, his state is still addressing the problem.

"And you know, we've now got that curve flattened. What we would hope to start seeing is the hospital admissions start going down and tracking in that direction," DeWine said. "You know, our challenge today or one of our big challenges is our hot spots."

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DeWine said his state reopening is being determined by Ohioans, but he is also speaking with other states in the region.

"We're [going to] do it. You know, it's going to be an Ohio decision made by Ohioans. But you can always learn something by talking to other governors, other people who are in similar circumstances," DeWine said. "You know, we're not going to go lockstep. I mean, I got to 'the buck stops with me' in making the decisions, and we'll do that in consultation with Ohioans and the White House and other governors."