Rep. Nino Vitale (R-Ohio 85th District) joined hundreds of protesters at the Ohio state capitol over the weekend, making him one of the few lawmakers to give his tacit support for the small but vocal group of people who are arguing against stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus.
The representative has taken a hard line against any government intervention to combat the virus.
"To me, it comes down to individual liberty and freedom," Vitale told Cheddar. "I don't believe it's the government's job to manage our health care."
The spike in cases that followed a similar protest in Kentucky has not discouraged Vitale.
"The government can tell us what the risks are and propose things to us, but to shut everything down and strip us of our freedoms is completely inappropriate in my opinion," he said.
Some Republican governors have already heeded protestors' demands with plans to ease restrictions in the coming weeks, in some cases ahead of their own benchmarks.
Vitale referenced a new study out of the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that found antibodies to the virus in 4.1 percent of the county’s adult population, suggesting a much higher rate of exposure than previously reported.
The representative said he interprets the data as a sign that coronavirus is much less lethal than many believed, and that governments should accordingly scale down preventative measures.
"When do we stop petitioning or stop restaurants from opening during flu season? We don't. It's a risk that we take," Vitale said.
However, from the same study, Santa Clara County Executive Dr. Jeff Smith interpreted the findings differently, believing the added risk of more asymptomatic carriers bolsters the need for stay-at-home orders, according to The Mercury News.
There have been 13,250 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 538 related deaths in Ohio.
American businesses that rely on Chinese goods are reacting with muted relief after the U.S. and China agreed to pause their exorbitant tariffs on each other’s products for 90 days. Many companies delayed or canceled orders after President Donald Trump last month put a 145% tariff on items made in China. Importers still face relatively high tariffs, however, as well as uncertainty over what will happen in the coming weeks and months. The temporary truce was announced as retailers and their suppliers are looking to finalize their plans and orders for the holiday shopping season. They’re concerned a mad scramble to get goods onto ships will lead to bottlenecks and increased shipping costs.
The Trump administration announced a trade deal with the United Kingdom Thursday in grandiose terms, but with only limited details about what it achieves.
Why not tax the millionaires? That question won't seem to go away as Congress begins drafting a package of tax breaks and spending cuts for President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill."
X, the social media platform owned by Trump adviser Elon Musk, is challenging the constitutionality of a Minnesota ban on using deepfakes to influence elections and harm candidates.
