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As a new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) swept through the world in 2020, preparedness plans, masking policies and more public policy changed just as quickly. WVXU has covered the pandemic's impact on the Tri-State from the very beginning, when on March 3, 2020, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine barred spectators from attending the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus over concerns about the virus, even though Ohio had yet to confirm a single case of COVID-19.

Gov. DeWine Gets Nasty Texts On His Cell Phone The Same Day As His False Positive COVID-19 Test

The Statehouse News Bureau | By Jo Ingles

Published August 21, 2020 at 5:03 PM EDT

On the day Governor Mike DeWine received a false positive for COVID-19, he got some text messages on his cell phone. And they were not nice.

A public records request by the Statehouse News Bureau shows DeWine received three texts on his cell phone the day he got the false positive. None of the senders were identified by name because their numbers were not stored in his phone. But the messages called DeWine a hypocrite, a loser, and mocked him for his mask policy. DeWine’s spokeman, Dan Tierney, says the governor’s cell phone number is not a well-kept secret.

“There are a number of Ohioans who have the Governor’s cell phone number," Tierney says.

Tierney says DeWine has been in office for decades so he’s developed relationships with community and business leaders who have his cell