OHIO -- A Republican Ohio lawmaker is making waves after taking to Facebook and urging state residents to stop getting tested for the novel coronavirus.

State Rep. Nino Vitale, R-Urbana, posted the message after Gov. Mike DeWine mandated residents in several Ohio counties wear face masks in public.

Vitale's message reads, in part: “Are you tired of living in a dictatorship yet? This is what happens when people go crazy and get tested. STOP GETTING TESTED!”

Vitale seems to be suggesting COVID-19 testing does not accurately reflect the severity of the virus outbreak, writing: “Is it giving the government an excuse to claim something is happening that is not happening at the magnitude they say it is happening. Have you noticed they don’t talk about deaths anymore, just cases? And they never talk about recoveries. They just keep adding to the numbers they have been feeding us from over 3 months ago!”

In another post, Vitale questions the effectiveness of facial coverings in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies have stressed that testing is an important component of getting a handle on the virus.

Of the more than 130,000 Americans who have died due to COVID-19, nearly 3,000 were from Ohio.