Protesters dance outside DeWine’s home in response to COVID actions

A group of protesters danced outside Gov. Mike DeWine’s Cedarville home Monday night because of actions the governor has taken in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

A Facebook post encouraged participants to protest from 8 p.m. to midnight.

“Please rally your troops, fellow patriots, friends, family and children and join us for a lighted dance party in front of the DeWine residence in Cedarville,” the post read. “Think wild and crazy glow sticks, strings of lights, lighted cars and flashlights mixed with air horns, bullhorns, pots and pans, trumpets, cowbells, sirens and whatever you can find that makes a lot of noise.”

More than 530 people marked themselves as interested in the event and 85 as went. However, it is not clear how many people actually attended.

The event happened the same day that President Donald Trump tweeted: “Who will be running for governor in the great state of Ohio? Will be hotly contested.”

That came one day after DeWine said that transition work should begin because Joe Biden appears to be the president-elect.

A similar event is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, according a Facebook post by Free Ohio Now.

Two health orders went into effect this week, including one requiring retail businesses to enforce mask mandates in their stores and another prohibiting dancing and self-serve buffets, among other restrictions, at wedding receptions, funerals and other banquet hall events.

Concerns about additional measures arose after DeWine said that the state may shutdown bars, restaurants, and fitness centers if Ohio can’t get coronavirus cases and hospitalizations under control. The warning came during a statewide broadcast last Wednesday.

As cases continued to spike over the last month, the governor has faced multiple questions about a second lockdown.

On Monday, DeWine said the focus is on slowing down not shutting down.

“We’re not talking about shutting down, we’re talking about slowing down,” he said. “This is a very crucial time. We’re asking people to reduce their social interactions for the next few weeks. We’re seeing tremendous spread because people are letting their guard down around friends and family.”

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