COLUMBUS, Ohio — While President Joe Biden looks ahead to greenlighting small gatherings for the Fourth of July, Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday said he foresees a return to normal happening sooner in Ohio. 

“The president talked about July 4. I'll talk about Memorial Day,” DeWine said Friday afternoon after touring a vaccination site at the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities in Canton.

At the clinic, DeWine said he had a conversation with a man who wants to get rid of the mask mandate. 

“We're not there yet, but we're going to get there,” DeWine said. “By using the mask and vaccinating at the same time, we're going to get there, and it's not too distant future.”

The governor said after the state opens eligibility for shots to everyone on Monday, the next phase of vaccination will require more focus on building demand to actually take the shots. One idea is bringing vaccines directly to workplaces, like factories, to make getting the jab as convenient as possible for those who work odd hours, he said. 

DeWine’s comments come after legislators overrode his veto Wednesday to implement legislation that gives the General Assembly the authority to rescind the state's health orders. The bill will not be law for three months. 

“The good news, frankly, is it does not go into effect for 88 days from now,” DeWine said. “I hope that this virus is in our rearview mirror in 88 days.”

This Memorial Day there will be many more ways to celebrate together, DeWine said.

“I think Memorial Day will be great, a lot better than it was last Memorial Day. I'm very optimistic, but we just, we can't let up,” he said.

Ohio’s case numbers have been hovering around a seven-day average of 1,500. While several border states, on the other hand, have seen cases tick upward recently. 

“They were going down for the last several months, and we rejoiced every time we saw them go down, but now they have plateaued out,” DeWine said. “What we do know is that as we vaccinate people, we're basically taking them out of the game as far as individuals who can spread it very much, or who will get it.”