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| G.O.P. Revolt in Ohio: Governor Faces Attacks From Within Over Shutdowns | G.O.P. Revolt in Ohio: Governor Faces Attacks From Within Over Shutdowns |
| (2 days later) | |
| In the early days of the pandemic, Mike DeWine, the mild-mannered Republican governor of Ohio, gained a national profile for moving quickly to shut down his state while other leaders hesitated. The rates of infection in Ohio have stayed lower than elsewhere in the Midwest. | In the early days of the pandemic, Mike DeWine, the mild-mannered Republican governor of Ohio, gained a national profile for moving quickly to shut down his state while other leaders hesitated. The rates of infection in Ohio have stayed lower than elsewhere in the Midwest. |
| But as the state enters the tricky phase of reopening businesses, Mr. DeWine has found himself facing an open revolt from members of his own party. | But as the state enters the tricky phase of reopening businesses, Mr. DeWine has found himself facing an open revolt from members of his own party. |
| Republicans have accused his administration of goosing coronavirus statistics to scare Ohioans. One state senator attacked Mr. DeWine for “micromanaging” residents and having no faith in them. On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives voted to limit the authority of the state’s health director, Dr. Amy Acton, who appears at Mr. DeWine’s daily news briefings. The governor said he would veto the bill if it came to him. | Republicans have accused his administration of goosing coronavirus statistics to scare Ohioans. One state senator attacked Mr. DeWine for “micromanaging” residents and having no faith in them. On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives voted to limit the authority of the state’s health director, Dr. Amy Acton, who appears at Mr. DeWine’s daily news briefings. The governor said he would veto the bill if it came to him. |
| The intraparty warfare in Ohio is part of a growing rebellion by Republican legislators across the country against their governors — both Democratic and Republican — who are arguing that stay-at-home orders and nonessential business closures are smothering the economy and violating rights. | The intraparty warfare in Ohio is part of a growing rebellion by Republican legislators across the country against their governors — both Democratic and Republican — who are arguing that stay-at-home orders and nonessential business closures are smothering the economy and violating rights. |
| Republicans in Pennsylvania tried in April to overturn the Democratic governor’s stay-at-home order. In Louisiana, Republicans are moving to strip the governor, a Democrat, of his administration’s ability to penalize businesses for violating such an order. In Wisconsin and Michigan, Republican lawmakers sued the governors outright. | Republicans in Pennsylvania tried in April to overturn the Democratic governor’s stay-at-home order. In Louisiana, Republicans are moving to strip the governor, a Democrat, of his administration’s ability to penalize businesses for violating such an order. In Wisconsin and Michigan, Republican lawmakers sued the governors outright. |
| While the economic pain from the virus and its response grows more intense by the day — in Ohio alone more than 1.1 million people have filed for unemployment over the past two months — surveys have shown broad support for stay-at-home policies, and even concern about the prospect of things opening up too quickly. Governors who have issued sweeping stay-at-home orders, including Mr. DeWine, have enjoyed soaring approval numbers. | While the economic pain from the virus and its response grows more intense by the day — in Ohio alone more than 1.1 million people have filed for unemployment over the past two months — surveys have shown broad support for stay-at-home policies, and even concern about the prospect of things opening up too quickly. Governors who have issued sweeping stay-at-home orders, including Mr. DeWine, have enjoyed soaring approval numbers. |
| On Thursday, Mr. DeWine announced that “virtually all retail,” including businesses like barbershops and nail salons, would be allowed to open by May 15 as long as they adhered to certain guidelines like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Restaurants would be able to open for indoor dining on May 21, he said. Describing the plan as a “high risk operation,” he clarified that other orders, including bans on large gatherings, had not been lifted. | On Thursday, Mr. DeWine announced that “virtually all retail,” including businesses like barbershops and nail salons, would be allowed to open by May 15 as long as they adhered to certain guidelines like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Restaurants would be able to open for indoor dining on May 21, he said. Describing the plan as a “high risk operation,” he clarified that other orders, including bans on large gatherings, had not been lifted. |
| For many who have lost their jobs in Ohio, the desire to return to work is mixed with an unrelenting fear of the virus. Their situations are not as clear-cut as the discussions in the halls of government, where politicians describe a binary choice between health and economic well-being. | For many who have lost their jobs in Ohio, the desire to return to work is mixed with an unrelenting fear of the virus. Their situations are not as clear-cut as the discussions in the halls of government, where politicians describe a binary choice between health and economic well-being. |
| Taniesha Head, 33, has been without a job since mid-March and has still not been able to reach anyone in the state’s unemployment office. The bills are piling up — water, sewer, lights, gas, telephone, car payment — and the children have to be fed. | Taniesha Head, 33, has been without a job since mid-March and has still not been able to reach anyone in the state’s unemployment office. The bills are piling up — water, sewer, lights, gas, telephone, car payment — and the children have to be fed. |
| Still, Ms Head said, “people are consistently dying of this virus and there is no cure right now. How do you sit back and tell somebody go ahead and risk all of this? You mean to tell me you want me to choose the dollar bill over my life?” | Still, Ms Head said, “people are consistently dying of this virus and there is no cure right now. How do you sit back and tell somebody go ahead and risk all of this? You mean to tell me you want me to choose the dollar bill over my life?” |
| For weeks, Republican lawmakers in Ohio have been growing restive about the governor’s public health measures, with some joining the hundreds of protesters decrying stay-at-home orders at the State Capitol. One state senator backed up his wife’s comments that Dr. Acton, the health director, was trying to turn the state into Nazi Germany. | For weeks, Republican lawmakers in Ohio have been growing restive about the governor’s public health measures, with some joining the hundreds of protesters decrying stay-at-home orders at the State Capitol. One state senator backed up his wife’s comments that Dr. Acton, the health director, was trying to turn the state into Nazi Germany. |
| A number of Republican lawmakers said they were paying attention to the public health impacts of an extended economic downturn — a rise in suicides, for instance — that were getting scant attention compared with the threat posed by the coronavirus. | A number of Republican lawmakers said they were paying attention to the public health impacts of an extended economic downturn — a rise in suicides, for instance — that were getting scant attention compared with the threat posed by the coronavirus. |
| And in public statements and interviews, the most vocal opponents of business closures and stay-at-home orders consistently talk of long-held conservative principles: “The government,” said Ohio State Representative Paul Zeltwanger, a Republican, “has to get out of the way.” | And in public statements and interviews, the most vocal opponents of business closures and stay-at-home orders consistently talk of long-held conservative principles: “The government,” said Ohio State Representative Paul Zeltwanger, a Republican, “has to get out of the way.” |
| Mr. Zeltwanger is the head of coronavirus-dedicated task force in the Ohio House, whose meetings have become a venting session for business owners bristling under the stay-at-home orders. The invited speakers have described the growing losses in their industries, asking whether workers will come back given the federal expansion of unemployment benefits and criticizing the state’s policies as ruinous for small businesses while sparing many major retailers. | Mr. Zeltwanger is the head of coronavirus-dedicated task force in the Ohio House, whose meetings have become a venting session for business owners bristling under the stay-at-home orders. The invited speakers have described the growing losses in their industries, asking whether workers will come back given the federal expansion of unemployment benefits and criticizing the state’s policies as ruinous for small businesses while sparing many major retailers. |
| In an interview, Mr. Zeltwanger, who last week issued a plan to immediately reopen all Ohio business, said he viewed the governor’s announcement on Thursday as “progress, but not fast enough.” | In an interview, Mr. Zeltwanger, who last week issued a plan to immediately reopen all Ohio business, said he viewed the governor’s announcement on Thursday as “progress, but not fast enough.” |
| The virus still presented risks, Mr. Zeltwanger said, but “business owners and business people are used to managing risk every day.” | The virus still presented risks, Mr. Zeltwanger said, but “business owners and business people are used to managing risk every day.” |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | Updated June 12, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Tom Ridge, the former governor of Pennsylvania and a Republican, who has known Mr. DeWine since they were freshman members of Congress, sees virtue in these conservative principles. But he is baffled as to why lawmakers in Ohio and elsewhere are citing them as grounds to block public health orders in the middle of a pandemic. | Tom Ridge, the former governor of Pennsylvania and a Republican, who has known Mr. DeWine since they were freshman members of Congress, sees virtue in these conservative principles. But he is baffled as to why lawmakers in Ohio and elsewhere are citing them as grounds to block public health orders in the middle of a pandemic. |
| “I appreciate in theory maybe what they are saying,” he said in an interview, “but ‘in theory’ doesn’t work if you’re going to put the broader population at risk.” | “I appreciate in theory maybe what they are saying,” he said in an interview, “but ‘in theory’ doesn’t work if you’re going to put the broader population at risk.” |
| None of this is theoretical to Rodney Shelton, 40, a janitor who was furloughed from an Ohio steel mill. | None of this is theoretical to Rodney Shelton, 40, a janitor who was furloughed from an Ohio steel mill. |
| “I want to be safe,” Mr. Shelton said. He drives his 72-year-old father to dialysis appointments three mornings a week, and cannot stand the thought of unwittingly bringing the virus along on those car rides. “At the same time,” he said, “the bills and stuff are still coming. I’ve got to get the money rolling.” | “I want to be safe,” Mr. Shelton said. He drives his 72-year-old father to dialysis appointments three mornings a week, and cannot stand the thought of unwittingly bringing the virus along on those car rides. “At the same time,” he said, “the bills and stuff are still coming. I’ve got to get the money rolling.” |
| Like Ms. Head, Mr. Shelton has been unable to reach an unemployment agent. And like her, he is unsure how much longer he can go without some money coming in. He wants to go to work. But if he is invited back to the mill, how could he trust it to be sanitized? After all, he has not been cleaning it. | Like Ms. Head, Mr. Shelton has been unable to reach an unemployment agent. And like her, he is unsure how much longer he can go without some money coming in. He wants to go to work. But if he is invited back to the mill, how could he trust it to be sanitized? After all, he has not been cleaning it. |
| “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s tough, right?” | “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s tough, right?” |
| Some of the conflict between governors and lawmakers is a basic power struggle over how to respond to a crisis. In Ohio, Larry Householder, the speaker of the state’s House of Representatives and a Republican, said the governor had “disrespected” the Legislature’s concerns about the effect of the orders on small businesses. | Some of the conflict between governors and lawmakers is a basic power struggle over how to respond to a crisis. In Ohio, Larry Householder, the speaker of the state’s House of Representatives and a Republican, said the governor had “disrespected” the Legislature’s concerns about the effect of the orders on small businesses. |
| Even in deep-red Mississippi, the Legislature voted just shy of unanimously to wrest control of federal stimulus dollars from the Republican governor, Tate Reeves. | Even in deep-red Mississippi, the Legislature voted just shy of unanimously to wrest control of federal stimulus dollars from the Republican governor, Tate Reeves. |
| “It’s a terrible tragedy,” Mr. Reeves said in a recent appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” accusing lawmakers of trying to conduct a “power grab during the middle of an emergency.” | “It’s a terrible tragedy,” Mr. Reeves said in a recent appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” accusing lawmakers of trying to conduct a “power grab during the middle of an emergency.” |
| Rick Rojas and Mitch Smith contributed reporting. | Rick Rojas and Mitch Smith contributed reporting. |