Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday that his order for face masks to be worn in stores went “too far,” saying that the government can’t control the public’s behavior.

“It became clear to me that that was just a bridge too far. People were not going to accept the government telling them what to do,” DeWine said on ABC’s “This Week.”

The governor announced Tuesday that he was rescinding the order because some Ohioans found it “offensive.”

He added Sunday that he believed  discussions around the mask order were distracting from other initiatives to defeat coronavirus.

“My ability to communicate to the people of Ohio frankly I thought was going to be really impeded and we were going to get hung up on the mandatory masks … You’ve got to know what you can and can’t do,” the Republican governor said.

The governor said though he has walked back the order, he continues to recommend Ohioans wear face coverings in retail stores.

“At the same time we pulled this back, I said this is highly recommended,” DeWine said.

“When you go into a retail store, that is the kind thing to do because I worry and we should all worry about the folks who are stocking shelves in grocery stores, the people in the checkout line who work there all day. We’ve got to protect them.”