Our part of the state has been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with southern Ohio’s counties having some of the highest rates of spread of the virus.

This has been especially true these last few weeks, as Lawrence, Scioto and Gallia counties have been in the top five most affected in the state.

And it was because of this that Gov. Mike DeWine made southern Ohio a stop today, visiting Minford to discuss increasing cases and their impacts on the region’s health system.

This is not the first time DeWine has visited southern Ohio due to the pandemic. Last year, he flew into Tri-State Airport in Huntington to speak on the situation in Southern Ohio.

Far too often, rural areas are forgotten by officials and counties such as ours can be neglected.

We are glad to say this is not the case with DeWine’s administration.

You will recall that, earlier this year, he also personally toured Lawrence County when it took a disproportionate share of the impact of three ice storms in the region.

We are grateful that the governor continues to show an interest in all parts of Ohio, especially our region and hope this is a trend that will continue.