COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered widespread closures of schools, movie theaters, gyms and more throughout the state, funerals and weddings have not been impacted.
Is it possible those could be banned soon, too? According to DeWine's comments on Tuesday, it doesn't' sound like it.
“This is certainly very difficult for families,” DeWine said during his daily afternoon press conference. “I can tell you, we were contacted by a friend of mine who had somebody in the family who died. They were talking about how do we deal with this. They came to the conclusion that they would have their own service, but they would postpone the public service until later.”
He suggested others follow a similar mindset.
“The sun’s going to come out again. We are going to get back to normal. That’s a very difficult situation.”
DeWine said the same concept should be applied to weddings.
“People plan weddings for a long, long time, and again, we would just ask them to figure out a way to celebrate the wedding, but maybe postpone the big celebration. The last thing that any of us want is for a funeral or a wedding to be the cause of someone else dying. Very happy occasion as far as the wedding, but you don’t want someone in the family to get sick. Obviously, it’s difficult for relatives from out of state now to get in.”
He said it’s common sense.
“Try to work your way through this. It’s not easy. I fully understand that. Your actions will impact the safety of your family, your loved ones and those who you don’t even know.”
As far as a total ban on weddings and funerals? DeWine made no mention of that whatsoever.
You can watch his entire Tuesday press conference below:
