'There Are No FEMA Camps In Ohio,' Gov. Mike DeWine Says

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohioans are not being forced to quarantine against their will, Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday.

Over Labor Day weekend, rumors circulated that Ohio was creating "FEMA camps," where people suspected of having COVID-19 were being forced to quarantine, even being separated from families. The rumor speculated that children could be taken from their families. DeWine said those rumors are false.

"This is not in our order, and there is no truth to the rumor," DeWine said. "Families will not be separated, and kids will not be away from their loved ones."

The rumors stemmed from an order issued on March 31, which was renewed in April and August. The order creates a funding mechanism allowing federal reimbursement for communities that offer places for residents to safely isolate or quarantine outside of their homes.

DeWine said this could be as simple as a health care worker deciding to spend a week or two in a hotel to avoid exposing their family to COVID-19. No one, he said, is being forced to quarantine away from their loved ones.

"The bottom line, neither FEMA nor the Ohio Department of Health are going to set up “FEMA camps” for anyone to quarantine against their will. What we are doing is making available a safe place for people to stay when they have loved ones they are trying to protect and they have no other place to go," DeWine said.