TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday pledged that there would be no mask mandates in schools or Covid-related lockdowns this fall even as the virus surges in the state and across the nation.
Florida has seen its cases explode in July, primarily among the unvaccinated, and hospitals are grappling with a wave of new admissions that have forced some major hospitals across the state to bring back visitation limits and cut back on elective surgeries. More than 8,000 people in Florida tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, and even the state’s attorney general announced this week that she has Covid despite being fully vaccinated.
Yet the Republican governor insisted that Florida would have a “normal school year” and that the state would resist any campaigns or push by federal authorities to put in place mask mandates for school children. The American Academy of Pediatricians earlier this week recommended that all students two or older and school staff wear masks.
“We’re not doing that in Florida. Ok? We need our kids to breathe,” said DeSantis during a press conference in Fort Pierce to acknowledge the signing of a bill that creates a statewide book distribution program. “Is it really healthy for them to be muzzled and having their breathing obstructed all day long in school? I don’t think it is.”
DeSantis comments marked yet another round in his confrontational stance against federal health authorities. The Republican governor, who is eyeing a 2024 presidential bid, has repeatedly touted his hands-off approach to Covid-19 that went against some of the recommendations of health authorities, but resulted in businesses remaining open and the state keeping down its mortality rate among its senior citizens, particularly in nursing homes. More than 38,000 Floridians have died since the start of the pandemic.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged that there would be no mask mandates in schools or Covid-related lockdowns this fall even as the virus surges in the state and across the nation https://t.co/kkfgyA4xhk
— POLITICO (@politico) July 22, 2021
They don’t call him “Death Santis” for nothing.
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