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.
The bodies of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants killed in a Russian jet crash on Wednesday were sent to a nearby facility for medical and forensic analysis, according to Russian media.
Political strategist Jonathan Harris breaks down the highlights from Wednesday's first Republican presidential primary debate and how Former President Donald Trump's absence affected the event.
A scowling Donald Trump posed for a mug shot Thursday as he surrendered inside a jail in Atlanta on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, creating a historic and humbling visual underscoring the former president's escalating legal troubles.
Ramaswamy has crept up in recent polls, leading to his position next to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at center stage. He quickly took advantage of the spotlight, attacking the other candidates as "super PAC puppets" and drawing them into tit-for-tats that gave him more air time.
The former New York City mayor, charged as former President Donald Trump's chief co-conspirator in a plot to subvert the 2020 election, is charged with Trump and 17 other people under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
The 4-1 ruling Wednesday departs from the court's own decision earlier this year to strike down a similar law from 2021.
A private jet crashed over Russia on Wednesday, killing all 10 people on board, emergency officials said.
Children’s advocacy groups including Fairplay and Common Sense Media are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google, saying the tech giant serves personalized ads to kids on YouTube despite federal law prohibiting the practice.
A Tennessee judge agreed Wednesday to temporarily block a new rule advanced by state House Republicans that banned the public from holding signs during floor and committee proceedings.
Former President Donald Trump is skipping tonight's GOP primary debate so what will the other candidates do? Political strategist Johnathan Harris weighs in.
