COLUMBUS, Ohio - A day after announcing his intentions to begin reopening Ohio's economy after nearly shutting it down to minimize the impact of the coronavirus, Ohio governor Mike DeWine appeared in a jovial mood as he took the podium on Friday, encouraging everyone to watch him throw out the first pitch in what will be a "virtual" home opener for the Akron Rubber Ducks. 

The governor moved on to sharing a video in which it was announced that the 2020 "Spirit of Columbus" award winner is Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Health. 

After announcing on Thursday he intends to begin what will be a slow process to reopen some businesses around the state, the governor took part in a conference call with the President and governors from around the country. Later Thursday evening, the federal government's plan to reopen the country was unveiled, which largely leaves up to individual governors the discretion to determine how best to move forward. 

In Ohio's case, the governer and Dr. Amy Acton have said the process will be explained in more detail in the coming days, but will involve slowly allowing businesses to reopen in a limited capacity with safety measures in place, followed by periods of monitoring new infections to ensure there are no spikes. 

DeWine said he did a radio interview Thursday evening where the host told him callers were saying everything from nothing changing at all on May 1 to the state being wide open. 

The governor said the truth will lie somewhere in between and will be based on what he called "common sense" goals designed to reopen business while protecting customers and workers. 

For example, DeWine said if you go into a retail business that reopens after May 1, you will see distancing of at least six feet, workers wearing masks and barriers, where they are appropriate. 

Other examples include staggered arrival and lunch times for employees, sending sick employees home and employees who can work from home still doing so. 

"After May 1, things will change some, but the essential reality of the fact that this virus will remain out there, so our life has to be guided by that," DeWine said. 

The governor said until there is a vaccine, one thing that will not change is that everyone should assume that everyone around them is carrying the coronavirus, since many people carry it without showing symptoms and can still spread it. 

Lt. Governor Jon Husted, who was not present at Thursday's briefing because he was meeting with business officials working on the reopening plan, said coming up with the plan has been challenging. 

"Inclusiveness is very inefficient," Husted said, saying when you try to give a voice to everyone who deserves a say, there is a lot of information and issues that arise that need to be factored in. 

Husted said that's a big reason why all of the specifics of the reopening plan are not ready to be released yet, but promised that the details will be clear to business owners and customers alike before May 1.

 Dr. Acton pointed out that the increase in new cases of the virus across the state is not necessarily and indicator that there is a spike, but rather an indication that there is more testing being done. Acton said the trends continue to show a "flattening of the curve," indicating that social distancing efforts have stopped the coronavirus from exploding and overwhelming hospitals. However, Acton also cautioned that there is still not enough testing available and the officials numbers are only a snapshot of the actual total. 

When asked if there are any concerns over reopening the state without having complete information on the total number of those infected, Acton said that's the reason why the plan must be slow and deliberate, what she referred to as having to "inch our way forward." 

The governor pointed out that whatever today's numbers of cases are, it's important to remember that each one represents someone who was exposed weeks ago, got sick enough to go to the hospital and only then was finally tested, meaning they are not a current picture, but rather a look at how many cases there were weeks ago. 

As a result, DeWine said with each move to reopen businesses, there will need to be a waiting period in order to get an accurate idea of whether or not it had an impact on infection. 

DeWine said the last thing he or any business leaders he's spoken to want is to see an increase in infection and having to reimpose restrictions once they've been lifted. 

The governor issued what could be construed as a call for the public to hold his administration accountable throughout the process. 

"For anyone who's concerned: Watch what we do. If you've got concerns, tell us. Tell the news media. Watch what we do," DeWine said.