A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis disputed claims by Dr. Anthony Fauci that Florida “jumped over a couple of checkpoints” in haste to reopen the state.
“There was really no justification to not move forward,” DeSantis told reporters at an Orlando area media conference on Friday, disputing the take of one of the members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
“We did Phase One at the beginning of May. Our best test results were May and the first few weeks of June,” DeSantis said. “It wouldn’t take six weeks to see something if that were the cause.”
Southern Florida was on a “different pathway,” DeSantis said.
“You’ve now seen more cases and transmission at the same time that the rest of the Sunbelt is,” the Governor added, at once adopting the language of Vice President Mike Pence and suggesting that regional variations rather than his decisions were most to blame for the viral spread.
“This is something that we’re dealing with. We’re in a better position to deal with it.”
The Governor is resigned, meanwhile, to having to “deal with it” for some time to come.
“When you have a flatter curve, which Florida has, if you look at the Northeast, they went boom,” DeSantis said. “Florida, Texas, we’re just much flatter, it means it goes on longer. You said you wanted a flatter curve, but it’s drawn out over a longer period of time … than if you had a boom or bust.”
The Governor addressed the controversial subject of school reopenings, saying “I don’t think there’s anybody who can make an argument that this is especially risky for kids.”
“The cost of not giving kids the option to have in-person instruction is enormous,” DeSantis said, saying that schools are “low risk” and kids are “not vectors of transmission.”
“The cost of what we’ve seen with the academic lag is very, very significant,” DeSantis added. “I also worry about kids not being able to have the normal interactions we’re used to.”
While the Governor’s children are not of school-age, he would be “totally comfortable” sending them to school if they were.
“Let’s take the politics out of it. Let’s take the emotion out of it,” the Governor advised, noting that the state is “obviously … doing what we can to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this virus, if you look at what we’ve done in our long term care facilities.”
Fauci’s take was that “rather than think in terms of reverting back down to a complete shutdown, I would think we need to get the states pausing in their opening process.”
That pause isn’t happening in the Sunshine State anytime soon, if the Governor has anything to say about it.
8 comments
S.B. Anthony
July 10, 2020 at 2:19 pm
We are the epicenter OF THE WORLD as of today. Coming
up on quarter of a million confirmed cases in Florida,
and off the charts positivity rates daily. Defend that.
jon
July 10, 2020 at 3:54 pm
What part of the statistics of this virus do you NOT understand! We have the data now. The data says it is no worse than the typical flu! Just like the flu, elderly and health compromise citizens should do more to avoid exposure! Since when in history has the healthy quarantined themselves? NEVER!
Democrats are simply not capable of logic!
BlueHeron
July 10, 2020 at 10:39 pm
Ron. Ron. Ron.
Who is “we”? What “data” are you referring to?
Unless you are listening to a certain minority group of people,
NOBODY is saying this is just like the flu.
Citations please.
WOKE
July 11, 2020 at 11:35 am
You are clearly a Sheepel! What do YOU not understand?? An no, I am not a Demoncrat!
Sonja Fitch
July 10, 2020 at 4:15 pm
Duffus Desantis does not give a rats ass! Hims had to primp today for the goptrump cult sociopath racist sexist liar trump visit! Duffus Desantis take Putin loving trump to see the humans incarcerated! Better yet take him to Jackson memorial and see the pandemic in action! You are both perverts!
WOKW!
July 11, 2020 at 11:33 am
Yes. He is an absolute Idiot! A dangerous person in his osition. He clearly does not care about LIVES but more abouthis political stance. He is Florida’s next MASS MURDERER!
I can’t stand the jerk. He’s in freaking La La land. So pace yourown kids in daycare!! Imbecile!!
Esteban Yu
July 11, 2020 at 10:13 am
DeSantis said, that schools are “low risk” and kids are “not vectors of transmission.”
Really? Don’t the kids have a mouth?
BlueHeron
July 12, 2020 at 12:15 am
Just thinking out loud here. The current “wisdom” is that kids are not vectors. Perhaps the current data bears that out. For now.
But, these children have been out of school for months and largely isolated from the real world. There are cases of spread as well as illness with children. Very low #’s thankfully.
Putting kids in school as it was before is nonsensical to me. Same as it ever was?
Unless I missed something, there is no testing program for the kids as well as all of the adults involved with educating and caring for them. No contact tracing?
Unless I missed something, there is no mask mandate for anyone either.
Distancing cannot be done properly. Too many kids, old and small schools. Ventilation systems are now a major big deal in possibly causing the virus to spread.How will that work?
Cafeteria – so the staff is expected to prepare food and feed the children as it has always been done. The children will be in the lunchroom all together, just as before.
Gym class and other activities. Just as before.
The major sports teams who are living in “bubbles” and trying to start things up are having a hard time. They’ve got brighter minds and tons more money and even they can’t keep covid away. Same with universities and colleges. Covid present in many of them before classes start.
So, I must have also missed the part about our using the children as some sort of a Florida-style science experiment. Let’s just force them back into school with no protections in place. We should know in a month or so how it’s going.
Says DeSantis “I don’t think there’s anybody who can make an argument that this is especially risky for kids.”
Have I missed something? I am seriously asking.
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