A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to stay calm even as a pandemic continues ravaging the state.
Speaking in St. Johns County Saturday during a hastily called press conference an hour’s drive from neighboring major media market Jacksonville, DeSantis encouraged residents to stay strong despite the state crossing the 337,000 mark of positive tests Friday.
The virus “is an enemy … but so is fear,” DeSantis said on Saturday at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, warning of “angst and stress” created by “headlines.”
“I think fear is our enemy, and if we approach this with steady resolve, we’ll do better,” DeSantis said, at a location seemingly cherrypicked for a positive narrative.
As he has elsewhere of late, the Governor seemed to suggest that Florida has stopped the virus’ upward trajectory.
Coronavirus, he said, is “relatively stable, probably [on a] a slight decline” with “positive movement.”
The Governor said “we’ve reached a point of stability, seeing a slight downward trend,” with many of the positive tests driving up recent numbers “reflecting infections 7-14 days ago.”
DeSantis has developed a weird narrative tic regarding the coronavirus, almost personifying it. He did that here too, noting that as compared to March, COVID-19 is “still novel, but it was more novel then.”
After days of stories about ICUs nearing capacity and experiencing shortages in both nursing staff and medication they need, such as remdesivir, the Governor picked Flagler County in St. Augustine, which had 44% of its 44 ICU beds open as of Saturday morning.
The Governor had said the virus was “stabilizing” elsewhere, and he did the same here, in a county where a commissioner is still recovering from a severe bout with COVID-19, and which saw a 10% rate of positives in tests processed Friday.
“Pretty significantly below the statewide average,” DeSantis said, noting emergency room declines week-over-week.
DeSantis chose St. Augustine over neighboring Duval County, set to host the Republican National Convention next month amidst a series of occupancy restrictions and outdoor venues that have not mollified fears of a “super-spreader” event.
Duval also has “stabilized,” DeSantis noted, with a “stabilization in some of their admissions, COVID admissions.”
5 comments
S.B. Anthony
July 18, 2020 at 3:00 pm
The only thing we fear, fake “governor,” is your leadership in a time of crisis.
You should resign.
Frankie M.
July 18, 2020 at 3:34 pm
Instead of going around to all these hospitals spreading the rona with his mouthbreathing why not just show a clip of Kevin Bacon in Animal House screaming ALL IS WELL. It would be more effective. If fear is our enemy does that make hope our strategy? Because if that’s the case I’m starting to doubt Ronnie’s commitment to sparkle motion.
Sonja Fitch
July 18, 2020 at 5:41 pm
Hell is what you ought to fear
racist duffus Desantis! You are a Putin loving piece of scum! Get out Desantis!
Sonja Fitch
July 21, 2020 at 3:14 pm
Florida by Saturday could be number one in America with covid positive cases! More than California and New York. Yep duffus Desantis you are criminally negligent by listening to paranoid delusional trump!
BlueHeron
July 19, 2020 at 11:36 pm
Governor Dumbass is really making things up as he goes. He needs to go and I’d rather not wait two years.
We have high #’s in every metric in my county. There are refrigerator trucks for any overflow of the dead. The vision of it really knocked me over.
I am aware of a great many people now who are in “covid-land”. It seems like it all happened overnight.
Family, friends, co-workers, neighbors. So many with varying degrees of separation from each other. Am I exposed? Am I not? Should a test be done? I can’t miss work.
5-7 days turnaround promised for testing. Many still waiting up to a week or more beyond that. Some are “exposed?”, some are “active” with probable covid at home in quarantine, confirmed/hospitalized, confirmed at home riding it out, one confirmed/DEAD. I could go on and on.
Isolation, quarantine and testing are becoming a part of daily life. And yes, MASKS!!!
It didn’t have to be this way.
But, if Ronnie says things are fine and don’t be fearful…
Dear Readers, I never speak this way in print and my apologies in advance when I say
Fuck you, Guvna!
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