Ohio governor issues travel advisory for 9 states in attempt to slow coronavirus

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) issued a travel advisory for nine states to try to blunt the spread of the coronavirus in the Buckeye State.

The advisory applies to individuals entering Ohio from states reporting positive COVID-19 testing rates of 15 percent or higher. It applies to both residents and people who are visiting the Buckeye State.

The states on the advisory are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas. The advisory is not a mandate, but simply a recommendation.

“I know this will be hard and is a sacrifice, especially as summer vacations are in full force, but when we have a higher likelihood of being exposed, we should take precautions to limit the exposure of others,” DeWine said Wednesday.

Ohio’s positive test rate currently hovers around 6.2 percent. 

DeWine also issued mandating that people wear face masks at indoor locations that are not a residence, at outdoor locations where six feet of social distance is not feasible and when queuing for public transportation services. That order will go into effect at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The moves come amid a concerning spike in coronavirus cases in Ohio, which had previously been credited with its initial response to the pandemic.

“We are at the point where we could become Florida, you know,” DeWine said Sunday. “Where you look at our numbers today versus where Florida was a month ago, we have very similar numbers. So we’re very, very concerned.”

“While we did a great job early on in Ohio, we’re now headed in the wrong direction, and frankly, I’m very, very concerned about that,” he added. “So we’re going to move ahead with more orders from us this week.” 

Ohio currently has 78,742 coronavirus cases, according to state data. More than 3,200 people have died in the state.