Ohio Man Who Called Coronavirus Lockdown a 'Political Ploy' Tested Positive for COVID-19, Then Died

An Ohio man who previously dismissed a state lockdown as a "political ploy" has died from COVID-19 after contracting coronavirus in late March.

John W. McDaniel of Marion County, passed away at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus last Wednesday as protesters across the country demanded that states reopen schools and businesses.

McDaniel, aged 60, wrote on Facebook on March 15 that Ohio governor Mike DeWin didn't "have the authority" to order the closure of all bars and restaurant.

"If you are paranoid about getting sick just don't go out," he wrote across a series of posts lambasting the local government's decisions. "It shouldn't keep those of us from living our lives. The madness has to stop," he wrote. Finally, he asked if anyone had "the guts" to say that COVID-19 was a "political ploy."

"Prove me wrong," he dared his followers. Though his Facebook page was deleted after his death, his posts had been widely circulated as screenshots. He was the first resident of Marion County to die from COVID-19, according to local paper the Marion Star.

"On behalf of the entire Marion County community, we express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends," said Marion Public Health Commissioner Traci Kinsler in a press statement following McDaniel's passing. "Our thoughts go out to the Marion County community, as well as all Ohioans, and those across the world battling this illness and the families of everyone affected by this pandemic."

He is survived by his wife and children.

McDaniel was part of a vocal minority across the country who have been seeking the freedom to head back to non-essential businesses and have gatherings among rampant coronavirus infection hotspots. However, Ohio's Gov. DeWine is still very much against opening up the state to additional infections. On Monday (April 20), he confirmed that schools across Ohio would remain closed for the remainder of the 2020 school year. Classes would instead continue remotely.

"We have to think about the risk to teachers, students, and our communities," DeWine said of the potential return to school. No decision has been made about the upcoming school year.