Ohio Governor Says State Is ‘Going The Wrong Way’ As COVID-19 Cases Rise

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday offered a grim assessment for the state as COVID-19 cases surge and claimed Ohio could soon be in a dire health crisis similar to Florida.

“We’re going the wrong way,” DeWine, a Republican, told NBC News anchor Chuck Todd on “Meet The Press.”

The Ohio Department of Health said the state’s total cases rose by 1,679 on Friday, the worst figure since the state registered 1,525 new infections in one day earlier this month.

Despite voicing concerns, DeWine struck back at critics who believe cases are rising due to the lack of a statewide mask mandate.

“I don’t think anybody in Ohio who’s watched what I’ve done over the last four months doubts that, you know, I’ll do what we need to do to protect Ohioans,” he said.

Masks are required in certain at-risk counties but DeWine said he is “looking at” imposing a statewide mandate.

“We are at a crucial stage. We are at the point where we could become Florida,” DeWine said.

DeWine's comments come as many states are grappling with rising cases. On July 12, Florida reported more than 15,000 new cases, the highest daily increase of cases on record for any state.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has been criticized for not implementing another shutdown order to curb the spread of infection. Some parts of South Florida have implemented curfews to flatten the curve of the outbreak.

As of Sunday at 5:15 p.m. ET, there are 3,752,257 COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with the domestic death toll at 140,395. The U.S. currently has the most infections in the world.