Gov. Mike DeWine said he’ll veto an Ohio bill that prohibits employers, schools from

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gov. Mike DeWine will have his veto pen ready if the legislature sends him a bill that would prohibit employers and schools from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine.

House Bill 218, in addition to prohibiting mandates on vaccines not fully approved by the federal government, would provide wide exemptions for fully approved vaccines.

The Republican, during a year-end interview with “The State of Ohio” public television show, said he’d “absolutely” veto the bill.

“Oh, absolutely. I’ve made it very clear I don’t hesitate to veto things when I think they’re wrong. I have respect for the legislature, but I also have a job and that job is to veto things that are bad,” he said.

DeWine said this is consistent with his overall position that government shouldn’t tell businesses how to run, pointing out he similarly opposes President Joe Biden’s mandates forcing large companies, medical workers and federal contractors to get shots.

Federal courts have put Biden’s vaccine mandates on medical workers and federal contractors in Ohio on hold.

House Bill 218 is the latest anti-vax bill in the legislature. It’s currently in the Ohio Senate General Government Budget Committee, having passed the House on Nov. 18.

Meantime, Ohio continues to fight a coronavirus delta wave.

On Tuesday, there were 9,922 new cases, although the Ohio Department of Health said that number is inflated to account for 7,699 positive COVID-19 tests that weren’t reported due to manual reporting errors at two laboratories.

The previously unentered positive cases weren’t reported from a period of March 7 to Dec. 3. The error is fixed, a Department of Health spokeswoman said.

Numbers will be inflated on Wednesday and Thursday as well.

Meantime, the 21-day average for cases in Ohio on Tuesday was 6,837. The coronavirus has killed 27,597 Ohio residents.