Just ahead of his planned meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested positive for COVID-19 and is now heading into isolation for the next 14 days.
“Governor DeWine has no symptoms at the present time,” his office said.
The Republican lawmaker is 73 years old.
“The President wishes Governor DeWine a speedy and full recovery and commends the job he’s doing for the great state of Ohio,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement to CNBC.
With a 5.47% positivity rate, Ohio currently slightly exceeds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended 5% rate of positive coronavirus cases ― one of the metrics public health experts recommend using when deciding to loosen social distancing restrictions.
DeWine issued a statewide mask order late last month after observing that new cases had slowed in Ohio counties that already had a mask rule in effect.
Following a recent outbreak in his state linked to one infected person who attended a church service, he also called on faith leaders to prioritize mask-wearing and social distancing.
“It spread like wildfire, wildfire. Very, very scary,” he said Tuesday of the incident. More than 90 cases have been linked back to the church service, including around 40 among people who weren’t in attendance.
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