Mike DeWine, Ohio gov.: People won’t go out if they don’t feel safe

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday said he can “reopen” his entire state, but it won’t amount to much if people don’t feel safe enough to venture back out in public amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“If people don’t have confidence, if they don’t think they’re safe at a restaurant, if they don’t think they’re safe in going to a jewelry store, then they’re not going to go out,” Mr. DeWine said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Mr. DeWine said that as of Tuesday, 90% of his state’s economy will be back open again.

Virtually all states are in the process of relaxing restrictions on businesses that were imposed to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has now infected more than 1.3 million people and led to more than 79,000 deaths in the U.S.

“This is not going to come overnight, but that’s why these two things — getting the economy moving and staying healthy — are so tied together,” Mr. DeWine said. “We got to get both of them right.”