This should give us all great hope. It could be here as early as december and we will be ready. We will be ready to get it out as soon we receive it. We have been told that it will come in batches. In the first several months the priority will be to get it out to protect the most vulnerable and to 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. , i want to talk to you about what we do until then. We are now at the most crucial phase of this pandemic. Of our third midst wave in ohio. In the spring, as the virus , we shut things down, flattened to the curve, and were able to open back up. In the summer, we got hit again. The virus was heaviest in urban areas and some of our mayors in the department of health issued mask orders in these hotspots. Mask wearing in those areas went up dramatically. As a result, cases dropped dramatically. Now seeing a third spike. But this time, things are much different. Now, we have been warned that when it got colder and drier and people were indoors more, the virus would rise up again. It certainly has. Intense,e is much more 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, over 6500 cases. People say that some the only reason we are seeing more cases is because we are doing more testing. Well, we are doing more testing and are happy about it, but the fact is that while testing has not even doubled, cases have gone up almost four times. Lets talk about our fellow ohioans in the hospital right now with covid19. During the spring and summer the most patients we had in the hospital at one time was a little over 1100. Last week we were at almost 2000 patients in our hospitals. Today, one week later, we are now approaching 3000. We now also have a Record Number of patients in the intensive care units. A month ago, 240 patients with covid were in the icu receiving critical care. , more than 700 of our fellow ohioans are in the icu have learned throughout this pandemic that what happens today sometimes wont reveal its full impact for weeks. True ofcertainly hospitalizations and, sadly, its also true of deaths, leaving us with the stark reality that we simply wont know the ultimate fate of individuals diagnosed today with covid for weeks or even months. Great work by our medical personnel, improved treatments for covid, too many of our fellow citizens are still dying. The first week of october, 86 ohioans died from covid19, with many more testing positive for covid today. We know that number will surely grow. And it already has. During the first week of november, 104 ohioans died. 104 mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. Left to mourn and grieve a loved one. To those families, please know that ohio grieves with you. About the nurses, doctors, and all those who care for covid19 patients, god bless them. Our hospitals are functioning right now, right now, as if they were at the peak of the flu season in january. But unlike the flu, when Hospital Personnel know that cases will begin to drop and come to an end late in the winter, early in the spring, these new covid cases are not trending down and it is taking anna normas human toll on our health care workers. In the spring we wanted to be sure we had enough personal protection equipment. That is what we were worried about. Ventilators and hospital space. Today the question is whether or not we have enough people. Are,ealth care workers quite frankly, exhausted. They have been running a marathon for nine straight months. With this new wave and the onset of flu season, its like they are starting the race all over again. If we dont change this, we will not be able to provide appropriate care for all of the ohioans who need it. Who need it for covid. Ohioans whothose require other emergency care. Things such as accidents, 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. Today i was asked by our thattal leaders to confirm ohio remains in a state of emergency. Im telling you, tonight, it most certainly does. This state of emergency supports their ongoing efforts to make staffing adjustments in accordance to cdc guidance as they work to care for a rising number of covid19 hospital patients. Martin luther king once said, and i quote, that every crisis has both its dangers and its opportunities. In this most dangerous phase of the pandemic, as ohioans we still have opportunity before us. We can control our fate. The good news is that we dont have to search for the tools to fight back. They are ready at hand and we have used them effectively before and we must use them effectively again. We have got to get back to basics. Wearing a mask. Maintaining at least six feet of distance from each other. Washing our hands frequently and not having parties and gettogethers in your house. Trying to get adequate fresh air into our homes, particularly as its getting cooler. What each ohioan does in his or her own life impacts all of us. Community. Every it impacts every school. Every nursing home. Every hospital. Every business. The more people who get the virus, the more likely it will spread to all the places that we desperately want and need to keep open and operating. Just yesterday i received a letter from a local school was concerned who about Community Spread in her community. She said people dont seem to that while covid exposures are occurring outside the school setting, they are having a profound effect on our ability to keep our school open. The simple truth is that your local school will not be able to stay open if it cannot keep teachers in the classroom and bus drivers in the buses. This virus threatens our ability also to keep our grandparents safe in nursing homes. Our hospitals functioning. Our businesses open and our citizens working. The basic and necessary things to protect those on the front lines. Nurses, our doctors, or Health Personnel who are treating patients. Our Grocery Store workers keeping those stores open. Teachers, bus drivers, childcare workers who are helping our children. The me tell you about jen. She is a nurse at ohio health. During the start of the pandemic, she was on medical leave, courageously fighting breast cancer. As she wasst as soon medically cleared, she jumped right back into action and returned to work, first managing patient cases over the phone, now caring directly for her patients. Times. Rs a mask at all she stays home while not working in order to stay safe and protect her elderly parents and her patients. As we wait for this vaccine, we have so much to protect. We cant surrender to this virus. We cannot let it run wild. Its advancing quickly and seeking victims in every community in ohio. If you dont know any of its victims, yet, sadly i suspect you will. Pandemic, most people and most businesses in ohio have done things right, by Wearing Masks and ensuring the safety guidelines were strictly followed. And we are very grateful for that. Its those actions that kept the 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 done a good job providing a safe place for employees to work and for customers to shop. However, it is clear that there are some businesses where mask wearing is simply lacking. We know that masks work. They are the easiest, most costeffective way to limit the spread of covid19. Employee has the right to work in an environment that is as safe as can be, which means all customers must wear masks. Goeser, each ohioan who out to shop, wherever they go, they have the right to know that every store that they enter, every door they go into to shop, will be safe. That the people they encounter in that store will all be wearing a mask. Mask order was issued on july 23 and in fact says just that. Orderwe will reissue the with three additional provisions. One, each business will be required to post a Face Covering requirement sign at all Public Entrances to the store. Two, each store will be responsible for ensuring that customers and employees are Wearing Masks. Forming a new retail compliance unit comprised of agents led by the bureau of workers compensation. They will be inspecting to ensure compliance of that mask order. A first violation of the order will bring about a written warning. For a second violation, it will bring about closure of the store for up to 24 hours. We must do this. We 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. She has severe asthma. She has a chronic lung condition. Shes an only child. Only grandchild. Because many of her immediate family members have compromised immune systems, she has not visited her parents or grandparents since march. Need to follow the safety guidelines so that she can stay well and see her family again soon. [coughs] as we implement the new mask ,[clears throat] its important that we remember the existing orders already in place to slow the spread of the virus. In april we had in order to limit gatherings of more than 10 people. That limit has been and still is very much in effect. This applies to Public Events and to private gatherings. Despite this order, we have seen rampant spread of the virus as a result of banquets, wedding receptions, and social gatherings following funerals. ,e have seen great tragedy great tragedy associated with some of these events. Now, its not the ceremonies causing the problem. Its the party afterward. So, to address this, we will be issuing a new order in the next few days that will place significant new restrictions on these social activities. Specifically open congregate areas can no longer be open. This requires, the order also requires everyone to be seated. Everyone to wear a mask unless they are actively consuming food or drinks. It prohibits things such as dancing and games. Now, lets turn to our bars, our restaurants, our fitness centers. Continuesrent trend and cases keep increasing, we will be forced, we will be forced to close restaurants, bars, and fitness centers. Will look at this one week from tomorrow. Im very well aware of the burden this will place on employees. Im very well aware of the burden this places on the owners. Are places, candidly, where its difficult or impossible to maintain mask wearing, which we know now is the chief way of slowing the virus. Let me turn now to our schools. To keepwear our masks our kids in school. Our k12 schools are doing a phenomenal job. I thank them. I think everyone in those schools. I believe that most children are simply better off in school then learning remotely. However, as the increasing surge threatens the ability of School Districts to keep teachers in the classroom, some schools are starting to shift to virtual learning. We must do everything in our power to slow this virus down so that kids can stay in school. It is up to each and every one of us. What you do in the community, what we all do in the Community Impacts whether our kids will be able to stay in school. Because no matter how good the schools are, they cannot overcome widespread covid in the community. It will get into the schools. Lets turn to our colleges. We 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. Forso want to thank them reducing the number of students on campus. That has made a significant difference in helping keep the cases lower and our campuses safer. Unless we dramatically slow the Community Spread of the virus, our higher educational institutions in ohio may have to remain virtual when school opens in january, with widespread covid, they may have no choice. Again, its up to us. Friends, my fellow ohioans, i know you are tired. Covid. Ed of all this i know you are tired. I know you are weary. 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, when you are going through hell, keep going. And so, tonight i ask you, keep going. Recommit to your individual efforts to stay safe. What you do in your private lives affects everyone. , dont host that Birthday Party or that baby shower or that kids sleep over or that get together to watch the football game. That attend the gatherings you are invited to. Stay home when you can. Work from home if you can. The upcomingh thanksgiving day holiday, please remember that when someone you dont live with, not in your , itehold enters your bubble puts everyone you live with at risk. Even our family and crows closest friends can bring covid into our homes. They dont do it intentionally, but it happens when they dont know we have the virus they have the virus and we need to avoid any unnecessary and additional risks 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 please make sure everyone is at least wearing a mask. It matters. Today is veterans day. We honor and remember all of our men and women who have served our country. Toy understand what it means serve a cause greater than themselves. This pandemic gives each of us the chance to serve a higher cause, a more noble purpose than just ourselves. None of us, none of us could easily forgive ourselves if we learn to love one learn a loved one got the virus because we had it and didnt know it. Its just not worth it. Its just not worth the chance. Ohioans, few times in our lives will be ever be able to do something, or refrain from doing something that will or can save a life. This is one of those rare times. Throughout the history of our country, each generation has faced unique challenges. Generations gone by, americans have and asked to lay down their lives for their nation, our country, so it might live. That we might live in freedom. Today, we all must do something far less dramatic, but very important. Wear our mask. Wear our mask. Your friends, neighbors, and family members might live. All of our 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 and 100 years. Whether you are 5, 15, 20, 50, 80, whatever your age, you are facing the same challenge and have the same opportunities. On sunday, fran and i were blessed with a new baby granddaughter. Grandson, our grandson is due any day now. Each one of us has our own herens why we want to be when this horrible virus is over. We make that decision, when we decide whether or not to put on that mask, we should thatber all those things we really want to live for. All of the worlds great religions have their own version of what most of us learn as. Hildren, the golden rule treat others as we wish to be treated. Whether you were raised in a religious household or not, whether you adhere to religious teachings or not, all of our most revered teachings are based, really, on the principle of believing in and working towards something bigger than ourselves. To the common good. The love for our fellow man. Our obligation to our fellow man. And there is no higher purpose than to work for that common 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. That rising sun holds the promise that the light is coming. The dawn is near. And we will, together, get through this, because we are ohioans. Thank you very much. God bless you, hope you have a good evening. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] coming up in a few minutes, financial regulators discussing their role in the pandemic. And later, the federalist society. Watch online at cspan. Org or listen with the free cspan radio app. It is republicans only for that question. We will open it up tomorrow for democrats only in our first hour of the program as well. Good morning and welcome to washington journal. One of those former supporters and fox opinion commentator opinion writer in the wall street journal. Bases his peace. The headline, this election result will not be overturned. Occasionally change margins in the hundreds but not in the tens of thousands. It has been an unsettling year, at deadly virus claimed almost a quarter million lives, a lockdown demolished personal routines and left us gasping for normality, a sudden deep depression snatched newfound