COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday evening Ohio will lift all health orders when cases drop below 50 per 100,000 people for a two-week period. 

“Victory is in sight. We have to keep in mind that there’s still a threat out there," DeWine said. 

As of March 4, Ohio is at about 180 per 100,000 people.

The governor's approach strikes a balance between the more conservative members of the Republican Party who are calling for all health orders to be lifted now, and the federal government, which is calling for double masks and continued vigilance. President Joe Biden said this week lifting all mandates is "neanderthal thinking."

DeWine said he consulted with Ohio Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff in coming up with the target. With this plan, the state is following a similar approach to how it lifted the curfew in February, using hospitalization targets.

In his address, DeWine defended the state’s mask mandate against critics in his party who say it is time for Ohio to fully reopen like Texas and Mississippi.

But the governor believes it's important to provide the state with metrics for reopening so residents can know what it is coming. 

"I can’t tell you exactly the day and the time that we can declare victory, but we will declare victory," DeWine said. "There’s a natural human tendency to let up. Sometimes we take our foot off the gas. All of us are so sick of this virus. We must resist this urge and we must fight to the very end."

The governor said he is looking forward to allowing larger gatherings in the spring like proms, graduations, and "a summer of fairs, festivals, concerts and baseball." But he said there is strong evidence masks will save lives until cases drop significantly more.​

As of Thursday, Ohio reported 1,009 hospitalizations and 1,875 cases. The state is no longer tallying COVID-19-related deaths. The seven-day case average sits at 1,725 — the lowest since October.

Ohio has also vaccinated 1.8 million residents, which is 15.43% of the state's population. Around 450,000 vaccines arrived in Ohio this week, which is more than any previous week, DeWine said. 

DeWine has received criticism from GOP lawmakers this week. Last Wednesday, former state treasurer Josh Mandel issued a statement, demanding DeWine to remove the mask mandate, remove all restrictions on businesses — including capacity limits — and overall reopen Ohio. 

“Mike DeWine and Amy Acton have done a horrible job handling the COVID response and completely trampled on the freedoms, liberties and livelihoods of everyday Ohioans,” Mandel said. “Today I call for Ohio to fully reopen and allow Ohioans to get back to work, get their kids back to school, and remove our statewide mask mandate.”

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan also pressured DeWine on Twitter, saying “Texas is open. Mississippi is open. When will Ohio do the same?”

Since DeWine's announcement, some lawmakers have already expressed their disappointment with the governor's decision.

In a statement, House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes said DeWine "squandered" the chance to tell Ohioans what's been going on with the vaccine roll out, calling it a "disaster."

"For months, we knew the vaccine was coming and the governor did nothing to prepare. Instead, he’s using the same failed playbook that slowed the rollout of our testing and devastated vulnerable populations, including Black and Brown Ohioans," Sykes wrote. "Tonight, the governor didn’t lay out a plan to address racial disparities or fix scheduling issues that turn away the vulnerable and elderly. I will commend him, however, for standing up to Statehouse Republicans and others in his party by committing to the mask mandate, an easy, proven, low-cost intervention to stop the spread."