DeWine warns bars and restaurants: ‘We’re prepared ... to pull back’

COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine was not pleased when photos of crowded bars and restaurants filled social media on the first day that Ohio allowed open-air seating to return last week.

Over the weekend, DeWine said the state took action, citing one bar in Columbus for violating safety guidelines.

DeWine appeared Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," and was asked to comment about photos of the Columbus bar Standard Hall, which showed many people congregating closely together on Friday, many without masks on.

"That's a pretty big crowd of people. They don't seem to be wearing masks," host Jake Tapper pointed out. "They don't seem to be separated from each other 6 feet or whatever — not a lot of distant between patrons."

DeWine, speaking from his home in Cedarville, said, "Absolutely. We had people there last night.

"The good news is that the ownership, the people running the bar seemed to get control of it [Saturday] night," DeWine said. "We didn't have to issue any citations [there].

DeWine added that another bar in Columbus was cited on Saturday.

Mentioning Attorney General David Yost, DeWine said that "we're going to do whatever we have to do" if crowds pop up anywhere in Ohio while social distancing guidelines remain.

"Ultimately, it's going to come to Ohioans doing what Ohioans have done for the last two months ... try and keep their distance," DeWine said. "We're encouraging more people to wear masks."

Ohio's plan to reopen schools in August, DeWine said, hinges on how well the state does reopening. Any spike in the spread of COVID-19 would be a major factor in the decision on whether and how to reopen.

"Sometimes people miss that schools were closed primarily because of the spread issue," DeWine said. "What we have found is that kids are not at great risk, but they are spreaders."

DeWine, whose last press conference was on Thursday, said he's told school administrators to plan on going back in August, but have plenty of alternatives available. He cited revised cafeteria and playground plans to encourage distancing.

"Very specific plans that are unique to your school, that are guided by the local health department," said DeWine of what he's asking administrators.

When daycare centers are allowed to reopen on May 31, DeWine said he thinks Ohio "will have the lowest ratio [of child/workers] in the country ... the smallest number of kids in a room."

DeWine said nothing is certain going forward.

"We're going to monitor all of this," DeWine said. "This is a virus that we still worry a lot about.

"So we're looking at the numbers every single day. All of this is a work in progress," said DeWine who acknowledged risks. "About 90 percent of our economy is back open because we thought it was a huge risk not to open.

"[But] we also know there is a huge risk in reopening," DeWine said. "We're prepared to do what we have to do to pull back."

This story was originally published May 17, 2020 at 11:30 AM with the headline "DeWine warns bars and restaurants: ‘We’re prepared ... to pull back’."