He said he would be reissuing the mask order with additional provisions and new restrictions regarding social gatherings. This is 20 minutes. Gov. Dewine my fellow ohioans, good evening. Received, our country some very promising news regarding a Coronavirus Vaccine that pfizer is developing. The first results from p hase three, the final research phase, show it to be effective in preventing covid19. Thats great news. This should give us all great hope. Ascould be here as early december. We will be ready to get it out a s soon as we receive it. We are told it will come in batches. In the first several months, our priority will be to get it out to protect the most vulnerable and protect our essential health workers. We will then be able to move to the general population. At some point after that, we hope to achieve significant immunity in ohio. Yought, i want to talk to about what we do until. Do until then. We are now at the most crucial phase of this pandemic. We are in the midst of our third wave in ohio. In the spring, as the virus first surged, we shut things down. We flattened the curve and were able to open back up. In the summer, we got hit again. The virus was heaviest in our urban areas. Some mayors issued mask orders in these hotspots. Mask wearing in those areas went up dramatically, and as a result, cases dropped dramatically. We are now seeing a third spike. But this time, things are much different. We have been warned when it got colder and drier and people are indoors more, the virus would rise up again. It certainly has. This surge is much more intense, widespread, and dangerous. As of today, every single one of our 88 counties has a high rate of virus spread. Areas of our state that were previously untouched, our rural areas, are being hit especially hard. Lets look at the numbers. At the end of september, we were averaging under 1000 cases per day. Today we report our secondhighest number of cases at nearly 5900 cases. While yesterday we reached the highest number yet of over 6500 cases. I know that some say the only reason we are seeing more cases is because we are doing more testing. Well, we are doing more testing. We are very happy abot happy about it. While testing has not even doubled, cases have gone up almost four times. Lets talk about our fellow ohioans and the hospital right now with covid19. During the spring of summer by surges, summer virus the most we had in the hospital at one time was a little over 1100. Last week we were at over 2000 patients in our hospitals. Today, one week later, we are now approaching 3000. We now also have a Record Number of patients in our intensive care units. A month ago, 240 patients with covid were in the icu receiving critical care. Ourght, more than 700 of fellow ohioans are in the icu. Learned throughout this pandemic that what happens today sometimes wont reveal its full impact for weeks. This is true of hospitalizations, and sadly it is also true of debts, leaving us of deaths, leaving us with a stark reality that we will not know the ultimate fate of individuals diagnosed today with covid for weeks or even months. Despite great work by our medical personnel, improved treatments for covid, too many of our citizens are still dying. In the first week of october, 86 ohio winds died of covid19. Ohioans died of covid19. With more testing positive today, we know that member will surely grow. And it already has. During the first week of november, 104 ohioans died. 104 mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. 104 families left to mourn and grieve a loved one. To those families, please know that ohio grieves with you. Ours talk about our nurses, doctors, and those that care for covid19 patients. God bless them. Our hospitals are functioning right now as if they were at the peak of the flu season in january. But unlike the flu, when Hospital Personnel know cases will begin to drop an end in the late winter and early spring, these new covid cases are not trending down. It is taking an enormous human toll on our Health Care Workers. In the spring, we wanted to be sure we had enough personal protective equipment. We worried about ventilators, hospital space. Today the question is whether or not we have enough people. Our Health Care Workers are quite frankly exhausted. They have been running a marathon for nine straight months. And with this new wave and the onset of flu season, it is likely are starting the race all over again. If we dont change this, we will not be able to provide appropriate care for the ohioans who need it, for covid, and for all those ohioans who require other emergency care, things such as accidents and strokes and heart attacks. Hospitals will again be forced to postpone important but less urgent care. Make no mistake, if nothing changes, this all could happen in just a few short weeks. Was asked by our Hospital Leaders to confirm that ohio remains in a state of emergency. I am telling you tonight it most certainly does. This state of emergency supports their ongoing efforts to make staffing adjustments in accordance with cdc guidance as they work to care for our rising number of covid19 hospital patients. Saidn luther king once that every crisis has both its dangers and its opportunities. In this most dangerous phase of the pandemic, as ohioans, we still have opportunities before us. We can control our fate. And the good news is we dont have to search for the tools to fight back. They are ready at hand. We used them effectively before and we must use them effectively again. Weve got to get back to basics. Maintaining at least six feet of distance from each other, washing our hands frequently and not having gettogethers in your house, and trying to get adequate fresh air into our homes, particularly as it is getting colder. What each ohioan does in his or her life impacts all of us. It impacts every community. It impacts every school. Every nursing home. Every hospital. Every business. And the more people who get the virus, the more likely it will spread to all the places we desperately want to need to keep open and operating. Just yesterday i received a letter from a local School Superintendent who is concerned about Community Spread and herd immunity. She said, and i quote, that people dont seem to understand are while covid exposures occurring outside of the school setting, they are having a profound affect on our ability to keep our school open. Yourimple truth is that local school will not be able to stay open if it cant keep teachers in the classroom and bus drivers in buses. This virus threatens our ability also to keep our grandparents safe hospitals functioning, business is open, and citizens working. Necessary things to protect those on the front line. Our nurses, doctors, Health Care Workersl, Grocery Store , teachers, bus drivers, childcare workers. Jen, a nurseabout at ohio health. Airing the start of the pandemic , she was on medical leave, battling breast cancer. Jenoon as she was cleared, bounced back into action, first managing patients over the phone, now caring directly with her patient. She wears a mask at all times, she stays home when not working in order to stay safe and protect her parents and her patients. Vaccine, weor this have so much to protect. Wild untilet it run enough of us get the vaccine. Ands advancing quickly communities in ohio. If you dont know any of its victims yet, sadly, i suspect you will. Throughout the pandemic, most people in businesses in ohio have done things right by Wearing Masks in ensuring that safety guidelines were strictly followed. We are grateful for that. Thes those actions that cap virus from spreading uncontrollably in the spring and summer. Today, every ohioan lives in a county where there is a high incidence of the virus. Most Retail Businesses have tiger job in providing have providing a safe environment. But we know that some are lacking. We know that masks work. They are the most effective way to limit the spread of covid19. Every retail employee has the right to work in an environment that is as safe as can be, which wear all customers must masks. Further, each ohioan who goes out to shop have the right that every store they go into to shop will be safe, and the people they encounter in that store will all be wearing a mask. Issued onrder was july 23 and says just that. Today, we will reissue that order with three additional provisions. Will beh business required to post a Face Covering requirement sign at all Public Entrances to the store. Will beh store responsible for ensuring that all customers and employees are Wearing Masks. Newe, we are forming a retail compliance unit comprised ofagents from the euro compensation. They will be ensuring compliance of that mask order. A first violation of this order will bring about a written warning. A second violation will bring about closure of the store for up to 24 hours. Must do this to protect our frontline workers. Now let me tell you about ashley. Ashley is a meat and seafood specialist for kroger in columbus. She has been with kroger for five years. Ashley has severe asthma. Ashley has a chronic lung condition. She is an only child. Because many of her immediate ily members compromised immediate family members have compromised immune systems, she has not visited her parents or grandparents since march. Sure she can see her family again soon. As we implement the new mask , it is also important that we remember the existing orders that are in place to slowly spread of the virus. In april, we issued an order to limit gatherings of 10 people. That order still is very much in effect. This applies to Public Events and private gatherings. Seen spread of the virus as a result of banquets, wedding receptions, and social gatherings following funerals. Tragedyseen great associated with some of these events. Causingt the ceremonies the problem. To address this, we will be issuing a new order in the next few days which will place significant restrictions on these social activities. Specifically, open congregant areas can no longer be open. The order also requires everyone everyone to wear a mask. The order prohibits things such as dancing and games. To our bars, restaurants. If cases keep increasing, we will be forced to close restaurants, bars, and fitness center. We will look at this one week from tomorrow. I am very well aware of the burden this will place on employees. I am well aware of the burden this places on the owners. Candidly,places, where it is difficult or impossible to maintain mask wearing. Which we know now is the cheap way of spreading that cheap way of slowing this virus. Let me turn now to our schools. We must wear a mask to keep our kids in school. Our k12 schools are doing a phenomenal job. I think everyone in the schools. I believe that most children are thany better off in School Learning remotely. Some schools are starting to shift to virtual learning. We must do everything in our to slow people down so our kids to slow this virus down so our kids can stay in school. It is up to each and every one of us, what we do in the community to impact whether our kids are able to stay in school. No matter how good the schools are, they cannot overcome widespread covid in the community that will get into the schools. Lets turn to our colleges. I want to thank our colleges and universities for agreeing to not return to in person classes after thanksgiving, but to finish the semester remotely. The vast majority of schools have made this decision. To thank them of reducing the amount of students on campus. Tos has made a contribution keeping our campuses safer. Slowunless we dramatically the Community Spread of this virus, our Higher Education communities in ohio may have to remain virtual when school opens in january with widespread covid. They may have no choice. Again, it is up to us. My friends, my fellow ohioans, we know you are tired. I know you are worried, i know you want this to be over. But, in words often attributed to winston churchill, during one of the most dangerous and darkest times of world war ii, hell,ou are going through keep going. Tonight, i ask you to keep going. Recommit to your individual efforts to stay safe. Because what you do in your private lives affects everyone. Please, dont host that Birthday Party or baby shower or kids aeepover, or get together for football game. Stay home when you can, work from home when you can. Comingpproach this thanksgiving day holiday, pleaser member that when someone you dont live with, not in your household, enters your bubble, it whats everyone you live with at risk. Even our family and closest friends can bring covid into our we just need to avoid any unnecessary and additional risk right now. If you are going to be with people who dont live in your home, if you feel there is ,omething you just have to do just make sure everyone is at least wearing a mask. It matters. Today is veterans day. We honor andrew member all our men and women who have served our country. A cause greater than themselves. Ais pandemic gives everyone chance to serve a higher cause, a more noble purpose than just ourselves. None of us can easily forgive ourselves if we learn that a loved one got the virus because we had it and we did not know it. It is just not worth the chance. Fellow ohioans come a few times in our lives will we be able to do something or refrain from doing something that can or will save lives. Throughout our countrys history, each generation has faced challenges, many asked to lay down their lives so that our country might live, but we might live in freedom. Today, we all must do things far less dramatic, but very important. Wear a mask. Families, ands, neighbors might live. Living generations are facing the same challenge in this country at this moment at the same time. Ohioans have not faced such a collective challenge in 100 years. 50,her you are five or 15, 80, whatever your age, you are facing the same challenge and have the same opportunities. Sunday, we are blessed with a new baby granddaughter and a grandson. A grandson is due any day now. Our own of us has reasons why we want to be here when this horrible virus is over. When we make that decision, when we decide not to put on that mask, we should remember all of want things that we really to live for. All of the worlds great religions have our own version of what we learned as children to be the golden rule. Beat others as we want to treated. Whether you were raised in a religious household or not, whether you adhere to religious teachings were not, all of our onered teachings are based the common good, love for our foron man, the obligation our common man. There is no higher purpose than to work for that, good. Each of us has a moral obligation to do our part. And i believe each one of us will do this. Our beautiful ohio state seal depicts the sun shining brightly over mount logan. Holds theg sun promise that the light is coming, that dawn is near, and together get through this. Cspans washington journal. Every day we take your calls live on the news of the day and we discussed policy issues that impact you. Discussion of Trump Campaign election challenges with the executive director of the honest elections project. We will talk with National Council of integrity member and former congressman, Richard Gephardt about the validity of the election. Live washington journal at 7 00 eastern, and join the discussion with your phone calls, texts, and tweets. Live on thursday, House Speaker nancy pelosi and Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer hold a briefing at 10 00. At 11 00 a conference with kevin mccarthy. Sidep. M. , the federalist the federal Federalist Society hold a conference. Returnsn2, the senate to judicial nomination work. Next, a discussion on the election and Foreign Policy under a biden presidency. The Brookings Institution hosted this events that looked at morale at the state department, the impact of a republicancontrolled senate, and future relations with europe, china, and iran. Runs an hour and 10 minutes