Grim Reaper stages goat herd at Governor’s Mansion to protest COVID-19 herd immunity approach

Image via Jason Delgado.

Florida lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder, more commonly known as the Grim Reaper, staged a goat herd at the Governor’s Mansion on Wednesday in protest of a herd immunity approach to COVID-19.

Uhlfelder in recent months has dressed as a grim reaper and traveled the state in protest of Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump‘s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, however, the Stanford graduate donned a black cloak, salt-and-pepper beard and a shepherd’s staff to symbolize herd immunity.

“Herd immunity is an experiment and a concept that will kill and infect millions of people if you can even get it,” Uhlfelder told reporters.

Uhlfelder and the goat herd were joined by two Florida doctors, Dr. Howard Kessler and Dr. Ron Saff. Together, the trio fear the Governor was steered toward a herd immunity approach by White House Advisor Dr. Scott Atlas.

Atlas joined DeSantis in early September on a three-stop Florida tour focusing on a range of testing and reopening-related efforts.

While DeSantis’ spokesman Fred Piccolo has resisted the notion that the state is following herd immunity policy, Kessler warned the Governor of the company he keeps.

“We are living in uncharted times with regard to this virus but also with regard to our government’s action and inaction,” Kessler said. “We have unqualified people giving our President and our Governor bad advice. It is filled with falsehoods and misrepresentations.”

The afternoon demonstration was derailed before reaching a natural end when a counter-demonstrator verbally engaged the demonstrators. The counter-demonstrator was among a group of 10 or so who showed up  to express support for Trump and DeSantis.

They were led by Leon County Republican Party Chairman Evan Power.

“We’ve done a good job here in Florida,” Power said. “We need to keep the forward progress going and  have to ignore these people who’ve been alarmist from the very beginning, who have not been in favor of keeping businesses open and protect our jobs.”

Power added that Trump and DeSantis have chosen freedom-based approaches to COVID-19, which will help them in the polls come November.

“If you look at the Democratic Governors they’ve all kinda taken a heavy handed approach and I think it’s political,” he continued. “They don’t want the economy to recover and I think they honestly believe government is the answer.”