Statehouse News Bureau

The Statehouse News Bureau provides educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations.

DeWine: No Mask Mandate At Political Rallies, But Wear One Anyway

By Jo Ingles

Published September 18, 2020 at 2:32 PM EDT

Few people wore masks at a recent Women for Trump event in Columbus. [Dan Konik / Statehouse News Bureau] — Few people wore masks at this Women for Trump event in Columbus recently

Pictures of people at political rallies in Ohio recently have shown most of them unmasked, in large crowds. The state’s mask mandate has gone unenforced at those events.

Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday the state hasn’t enforced the mask mandate in churches, because he respects the freedom of religion, or at political demonstrations, where Ohioans are exercising free speech. And political events fall into that protected category under the mandate, he said, but with" a strong warning."

“We really urge anyone who is conducting a rally, attending a rally, while we don’t require you to do it, the order does not say you have to, but please wear a mask. Please do social distancing," DeWine said.

Those pleas will probably go unheeded by many based on the lack of masks being worn at political rallies in the recent weeks, including one with Vice President Mike Pence in Zanesville where the crowd booed at the mention of DeWine’s name.

President Donald Trump is set to visit Ohio Monday and the Biden campaign is also exploring options for in-person political events in Ohio soon.