Bryan Hernandez: Gov. DeSantis, take responsibility and manage COVID

Gov. Ron DeSantis has failed the people of Florida at an extraordinary level in his response to the COVID pandemic. Here in Florida, 23,612 people have died from the virus since the beginning of this terrible pandemic. There have been 1.5 million infections.

This is a crisis, and it demands a proactive Governor.

During a public emergency, we need an active government. It is absolutely necessary. DeSantis should use the state’s resources to the fullest extent to combat COVID. Instead, DeSantis has highlighted individual responsibility and a scaled-back state government in his response to the pandemic.

Alas, right-wing governance during a public health crisis! Ayn Rand cheers while the virus spreads.

I urge DeSantis to step up and lead. Leadership in this moment would look like this: mandate mask-wearing in public, allow local municipalities to deal with this crisis, and have the state government get more involved in administering the vaccines.

Local municipalities should have the legal ability to institute policies they believe are needed to address their distinct number of infections. DeSantis has severely limited that ability. According to CBS Miami, DeSantis has banned municipalities from imposing fines on those who violate mask ordinances. This will cost lives. A mask ordinance for people out in public that establishes fines for violators is the best way to ensure people actually wear masks.

In addition to not stopping the spread, DeSantis is failing at distributing the vaccine.

Providing vaccines to millions of Floridians is a huge undertaking, but I believe it can be done. In addition to hospitals, we need more institutions to participate in the vaccine’s distribution. The private sector, nonprofits, and government should all participate in distributing it. Kudos to Walgreens and CVS for participating in the vaccine distribution. I urge more businesses, such as independent pharmacies, to get involved in distribution.

DeSantis should mandate the Florida Department of Health to dispatch qualified medical personnel to administer the vaccine. The Governor should also call on the National Guard to assist in these efforts to the fullest extent possible.

We need all hands on deck.

With more businesses stepping up to distribute the vaccines and more medical personnel provided by the state, there would be more locations available in communities for folks to get vaccinated.

The lives of Floridians are at stake. Gov. DeSantis, act accordingly, and take responsibility. This crisis requires leadership.

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Bryan Hernandez is the former President of the Kendall Democrats Club, a grassroots organization within the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. In 2015, Hernandez worked at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Public Engagement in Washington, D.C. He graduated from American University with a B.A. in Political Science.