Ohio governor ‘looking at’ closing bars, restaurants amid coronavirus outbreak

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) suggested Sunday he would consider closing down bars and restaurants to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

“We’re certainly look at that,” DeWine responded when NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd asked the governor if he would close bars and restaurants across Ohio. 

WATCH: @GovMikeDeWine (R) says he’s looking at closing bars and restaurants in Ohio. #MTP #IfItsSunday

When making decisions, he says he’s consulted the charts of the pandemic in 1918 — comparing St. Louis and Philadelphia: “What it tells us is … every day counts so much.” pic.twitter.com/yaKnHIenMw

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) March 15, 2020

Ohio is one of several states that have closed schools down for a few weeks. The state has also limited gatherings to 100 people and restricted access to nursing home sand prisons. 

“All the people I’ve been consulting … they say every day counts so much, you cannot wait. You’ve got to move very, very quickly,” DeWine said. “These are tough decisions. We are inconveniencing people, it’s making people’s lives change, but we’ve got to save lives. Everything we’re doing is to save lives.” 

DeWine also said Sunday, in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the state-wide school shutdowns may stretch into the rest of the year as the state grapples with the global pandemic.