The White House Coronavirus Task Force has announced their recommendation that Florida should close down its bars and restaurants.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is against this proposed sweep of closures, stating:
We believe every job is essential. You work in a restaurant, we have your back. If you are a hair stylist, we protect your right to earn a living and if you are a parent we ensure your kids have the right to in-person learning. Lockdowns do not work.
Florida is currently in the red zone as far as hospitalizations go according to health officials, a large reason why the Biden administration is calling for these types of nonessential businesses to shut down.
Keep watching WDWNT as we continue to follow this story.
“Lockdowns do not work” may be the stupidest phrase DeSantis has ever said. Does he understand germs cannot pass between people if the people aren’t close?
Lockdowns don’t work, California has been the most stringent, their numbers are no better than the rest of the country.
Exactly. At first Newsome acted superior, but it all fell apart the second he tried to open up. Unless we lockdown indefinitely it doesn’t work. FL is better off than CA and has been much less restrictive.
Lockdowns DO work. California went into a pandemic nightmare, then did a lockdown. They just started reopening. Why? Simple. The lockdown worked – the rate of infections are declining. This is really basic epidemiology that’s been understood for over 100 years and proven time and time again. There is NO scientific debate on this.
Wrong
Wrong.
The problem is that people aren’t acting as safely as they possibly can. It’s their fault that shut downs are needed.
Jo…couldn’t put it better myself
Exactly. If people would just wear the damn mask and stop the gatherings and parties, we could get this under control much quicker.
That’s correct. Lockdowns don’t work. California is no better off-
Actually, California and New York have MUCH worse numbers than Florida and the rest of the country. Point made.
Yes California has lockdowns. They don’t work there because the people that live there DON’T follow rules and regulations!!!. They do whatever they want and then are amazed when covid numbers rise exponentially. Idiots!!!
Of course everyone should follow mask mandates and lockdown procedures to slow to spread, but these were never intended to stop the spread, only slow them down. Just like influenza, we will live with SARS-CoV-2 long into the future, and need our immune systems to produce antibodies to fight it.
DeSantis is correct. Lockdowns do not work. Case in point – California. You cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. Their is no greater threat to one’s health than poverty, not to mention the countless other intrinsic and extrinsic externalities of illegal government imposed lockdowns eroding at the fabric of our civil liberties. If you love lockdowns, move to a liberal jurisdiction and take your chances. That is why our founders established a system of federalism where local decisions are left to local governments that are free to do as they please. People in turn elect their local leaders based on their approval or signaling of the policies they want employed. Anyone advocating for national imposed lockdowns needs to revisit high school civics as their is zero legal basis to impose or enforce.
Huh???………..
You are the problem
Whaaaat????
Couldnt have said it better myself, young man! Very proud of you! Sounds like you were an excellent student. Thanks for your brilliant comment.
Comment corrected
Heck, California just announced that they are stopping the lockdown.
Yes !!! There are smart people out there !!!!!!!
I agree with you all the way.
John, I guess your solution is just let all 300+ million Americans get the virus and only about 3 and a half million will die since that’s only about 1.5 percent it’s ok.
Dude the mortality rate is 0.01 your math is awful.
Just Ask California how there lockdowns worked out, oh that’s right it didn’t.
sorry David. the States with the strictest lockdowns since March still have the highest positivity and deaths so math prevails here. Also in 1918 when that flu pandemic hit, doctors and researchers finally moved as many patients in beds onto lawns and outside as fresh are and sunshine were key in stopping this virus. (another covid virus). This is how the immune system works and it is not up for debate. it is a scientific and medical FACT. – but if you feel better staying inside behind a mask covered in hand sanitizer please feel free. Furthermore Disney has done extensive contact tracing as well as the airlines and see not outbreaks from opening and using normal reasonable precautions. so the DATA is there.
Dawn, lockdowns go in effect AFTER the damage is done. That’s why the positivity rate, and new cases go up. When n.y. implemented the first lockdown, it went from the worst state in America to the 3rd best. Lockdowns or not, the problem is people just do whatever they want and have little or no regard for others. Americans are spoiled rotten. Always were and always will be.
And “every job is essential” is the smartest thing he’s said
Exactly, it’s essential so that a person can make a living and not depend on government like Democrats love to do. No matter the job it’s essential, except congress they are useless.
Florida is doing much better than CA or NY. Stay away from Florida and keep your germs to yourself.
I agree Dee. We are fine in Florida.
Well who is gonna pay these workers when their employer closes? The government. Yeah like that gonna happen. I am behind The Governor 100 percent. So all the biden people that want to shut down thecountry, why don’t yall pay every wage that is lost.
I totally agree, I know it’s very important to keep jobs open because people need to work to feed and provide housing their families, but you can’t take care of them if your not around to do it.
If everyone would have done their part and wore mask and stayed in when this whole thing started maybe it wouldn’t have gotten this bad to begin with. I’m sure our high risk people want to get out and do things also. Why should they be penalize Everyone needs to do their part and unit together and get rid of covid. Things worth getting is worth fighting for at any cost.
You’re never going to get rid of covid just like all the other covid viruses are still around and lockdowns do not work . Let me guess you’re one of those people that have a job that allows you to stay home and work? So do I actually but that’s not fair to the rest of the people who have families to feed and bills to pay and keeping healthy people locked down just makes them unhealthy. Lockdowns don’t work , you just have to trust that at least most of us are grown ups and can conduct ourselves accordingly.
I agree they need to wear mask at least
I agree just wear your mask and wash your hands we all learned how to do that when we were little people simple stuff🤷♂️
Ridiculous. 99% survival rate.
Look at ca the most lock down state and has highest rate so moron go lock your self in closet
Lockdowns didn’t work in Germany, Italy, France or Spain. They may have only delayed the inevitable stretching out the suffering and providing time for mutant variations of the virus to occur.
David has you seen the results of lockdown. Stay at home if you prefer its still America you have the right to choose
It’s a personal decision.
Then don’t get close and stay home.
I don’t thing you would be a pleasant person to be around anyway.
He is 100% correct.
Then why is Fla number 25 in reported cases even with the he highest elderly population?
If you’re that terrified of a virus with a 99.98% survival rate, stay home. Let the rest of us live our lives.
Covid will always be around. It will never be 100% eliminated. People need to get over it and go on with their lives.
Well look at the numbers we have double the people Michigan and we have are equal and they are locked down! I want to stay working wear your mask if u want or stay home if your scared !
Ignorance is just a chance to learn. You have time to return to online schooling if needed and learn a thing or two about science and scientifically sound data. You must have failed science class. That’s unfortunate.
Worked well in New York 🤪
They don’t work or California wouldn’t be in the worst shape of any state.
You have one of the worst rates of infection and death in the country and saw a major surge after restaurants/bars were opened. Maybe if you had supported dems that would provide relief and a universal wage you wouldn’t be so rushed to reopen everything and make everyone sick?
You must work from home and don’t depend on a job to feed your children. Not to mention mask do not work unless they are N95 and you know how to properly wear & remove. Which must do not. So there is that too. Desantis has to care about all Florida families not just yours. If you are scared or fragile. Stay at home yourself. Sorry. Not sorry.
If you social distance, use a mask and wash your hands regularly there’s not issue. Closing down our country will cause more hardship! Go live in a democratic state if you don’t like our Governor, let me know how that works for ya!
Most infections happen in the homes. California is shut down look at their numbers. You don’t want to go out? Stay home. Science does not warrant it.
Biden wants this
Then stay home!
This is absurd. I’m all for taking precautions but the lockdowns have done very little to stop the spread of this virus and a whole lot to damage the economy. Shutting restaurants and bars down is not going to help, as proven by the fact that it didn’t help the first time.
Cases skyrocketed once restaurants and especially bars reopened. If they don’t shutdown at least implement a curfew
Curfews!? Ok, I guess contaminations only occur at a specific time of the day.
Because COVID becomes 10X as infectious after 10:00 pm???
And when your walking, doesn’t affect you when you sitting down? lol
Not today Satan!
I work in two public schools in Florida there have been three cases of covid,no deaths 6 months into the school year. We don’t need any lockdowns please don’t fall for the hyped up numbers.
Okay then shutdown all Disney Parks ASAP!!!!
Cases skyrocketed because testing became more and more prevalent. The tests were extremely limited at first, and now u can get tested and results in 24hrs.
Restaurants/bars are closed here in north FL by 9 or 10.
Dan, what is great about Florida is that you have the right not to go to a restaurant or Bar. You have the right to stay home and order in. For me I enjoy the freedom of going to restaurant and bars. We are only here on this earth for a short time and I certainly don’t be locked up in house any longer.
Jessica, it did work the first time.Florida closed early and had very low numbers at first. The state opened up way too soon and has had increasing numbers ever since.
Liz, there is zero evidence that the increase in covid infections were caused by the state opening up to soon. States that have continued to remain shut down have surpassed Floridas number. Care to explain how?
Zero evidence that it didnt, too
The #s are going up due to the fact of how many people are leaving the states that have lock downs and have had enough of living in such an oppressive environment. Keeping a handle on Hospitalizations and deaths is what needs to be monitored the most.
Basically Florida never locked down nor did a mask mandate due to the Gov following Trump blindly do we have over plus 25K deaths and much more on the way with all following the dollar and rejecting science.
As someone in Florida who was locked inside for at least 2 months and was in a county with a mask mandate, I have to correct you.
Thank you Floridian. I live in Florida too.
you have to keep in mind there are a lot of high-risk people living in Florida. That would be why so many people died
Sorry to correct you Jim Cormier, I live in Florida and we did have a lock down. Disney, Universal, malls, restaurants all closed and county by county we did have mask mandates. So get your facts right.
So rent and utilities are no longer due? You do realize people need to work to pay these financial obligations? The amount of people that refuse to acknowledge a functional economy is needed to live our lives is as idiotic as the people that say covid is a hoax
Please see my statement to Patricia above!
Thank you
We did not open too soon. Sorry. We closed for 3 months ( I live in Florida) and then opened up in stages for months. Movie theaters where I live are still closed. Restaurants still spacing people and using precautions. Sitting outdoors at some of these places. No, we did not open quickly.
No it didn’t. Florida’s numbers were low because everyone was taking more precautions. As soon as we figured out it was idiotic to worry about a virus with a mortality rate of 0.26%, we left our homes and yes infection rates went up but no more deaths than the rest of the country.
The state opened and everyone from lockdown states flooded here.
Omg
Lockdowns help to bring the positivity rate down so they help avoid unnecessary deaths and over capacity hospitals !!!! Of course they help but they don’t get rid of the virus. If people don’t cooperate the positivity rate goes up again. Educate yourselves!!!!
The only reason they’re trying this bullshit in Florida is because they do t want us traveling to Florida to visit WDW. This would be disasterous!
Seriously?
I’m tired of NY buying our real-estate and driving up our prices just so they don’t pay NY and California taxes. Our State is doing much than NY or CA without all the 🔐.
No it isn’t disastrous. It because people need to go to Disney. It who cares about everyone else. It’s people like you who are disastrous.yoy o ly think about yourself.
Your name is perfect
If people want to, sakes preserve us, ENJOY LIFE with trips to Disney or eating at a restaurant or gathering even at home, what tyranny to take that chance away from them? How many grandparents were denied their very last opportunity to see their blessed grandchildren, all for “their own good”? Who are you to tell people what their “good” is? They want to take that chance? Let them. Should we have put Sir Hilary in prison for daring to risk death? Shackleton? The Apollo astronauts? Now THOSE were risks. Going to see Goofy? Not really.
Excellent. Now stay away from us. Tell your friends, too.
Been twice in the last few months, quite lovely. The low capacity was very enjoyable
takes a lot of hutzpah for someone from government to call others “non-essential”, eh?
Look at NY. There is no way to make lockdowns effective against the spread. All it does is hurt the public. I question the motivation for recommending the lockdowns.
I agree. To all the people who think a lockdown is necessary, hear this! People themselves do not want to get sick. They know they need to wear a mask and do distancing without being mandated to do it
all over the place.
The motivation Is to make the governors of CA and NY seem effective.
There is something wrong here. our positivity rate today 1/29 is 7.7 % far below the danger zone of 10%. why is the WH involved? It is correct keeping people unemployed and inside DOES NOT WORK. no data supports that. Florida ranks 26th at deaths from covid per 100,000 (research it) FAR BELOW 25 other states, most who have the strictest lockdowns since last March- math don’t lie.
Stop politicizing the issue, the virus is raising the death numbers. Follow the science
I agree with Marc think about others as well as yourself
Your name is Karen 😂
Then stay home and don’t come down here live in your bubble.
I agree if your scared stay home let us who are not live our lives
Driving cars raises the death rate.
Mark just stop talking
The “issue” was BUILT on politics from the beginning. This entire “pandemic” turns out to be no more deadly than the regular flu that kills hundreds of thousands every year. But it sure was a great excuse to allow the use of “mail in ballots,” and a weapon to blame some deaths on the President. And now that he’s out of office, the CDC and WHO have announced that COVID positivity has to have a much stricter guildline. Suddenly the rate will drop to near nothing, now that the target has been achieved. At great cost to regular people, but mission accomplished. Eggs, omelettes, etc.
You got that right,Joe!!!some
No data supports it? New Zealand and Australia are proof that it works. It’s people like you who don’t make it work.
New Zealand and Australia are both reporting cases and deaths higher than their pre-lockdown numbers, care to attempt to make a new point
I applaud Ron DeSantis, good job representing your people, and I hope you do not have to the feds push. The fact is lots of states have been on lock down, yet, purpose are still dying from this virus. The only way to really stop that is too just get rid of all the people, as long as there are people, infections will be able to spread among them.
Get rid of the government. They are the biggest problem.
Agree
BOOM!! U SAID IT..!! THANK YOU.. I AGREE WITH YOU.. SUE..
Without government you wouldn’t have the financial system and freedoms you enjoy every day. I have lived all over the world and middle class American seem to forget the atrocities that happen when it doesn’t effect them personally.
The UK is on a total lockdown not to punish but to make a better future for its citizens. Our own government polices of the 30’s was needed to combat a system that was inequalities across generations.
I say let the government give out 2000 a month on the 1st, for those in the lower income bracket, but the money has to be spent by the 10th or it gets wiped. This will build the local community.
On 1/29, Florida had 22.1% of its ICU beds available. Beds available: 1,248. Beds occupied: 5,650. Total Beds = 6,898.
And CA still has less than 10% ICU availability.
Also people are not remembering snowbirds come here this time of year it’s not uncommon to have all ICU beds full when not on a pandemic. The elderly and general population rises. Florida is well equipped to deal with these types of rises. I see it every year.
Excellent data at Florida Atlantic’s website – from the school of business no less. Very good for visualizing what’s going on.
https://business.fau.edu/covidtracker/data/florida-data/
ICU “beds available” means “beds staffed that day.” It doesn’t mean even “available normal capacity” and doesn’t mean “available emergency capacity.”
Hospitals can increase ICU bed usage with additional staffing to their “actual normal capacity,” and can increase beyond that even, as hospitals have other beds available for conversion. It is bad business practice to staff an ICU at higher capacities every day when they’re not being utilized.
ICU admissions tracks hospitalizations closely-and that number is an actual total number of COVID hospitalizations. FL was at 9,000 during peak in summer. They weren’t in danger of over-utilization then. They peaked around 7700 this latest spike, and are currently at 6378. They’re nowhere near peak.
I am adding the state link below to hospital numbers. It updates multiple times a day.
No thank you! Florida is open for business! That’s why so many people are moving here!!!
Guys, it’s pretty clear the new WH administration is playing politics with the state of Florida. Lockdowns DO NOT work – look at California, New York, New Jersey, Michigan. Haven’t we learned anything from early 2020? This is nothing but a shameless ploy to advance their anti-business agenda. Do not fall for it.
As for FL being a “red zone” I don’t buy that. I work for a large national corporation with locations in multiple states across the east coast, and we currently have ZERO locations closed in FL and the LEAST amount of positive cases in our FL locations. The highest volumes of both are located in, you guessed it – NY, NJ, CT, Mass, NH.
Until you loose someone from Covid. You then may listen to science. Take care, be Safe & Healthy….
I agree
Stay inside foever until your broke and then you can live on the streets.
I have lost a few people to Covid and do not think and never have thought we should be in lockdown.
Tell the feds to stay the hell out of our state Governor you’re doing a fine job keep Florida working
the entire problem here folks is not whether the facts prove how insane lockdowns are. i mean really, if they are that ignorant and fearful why are they not staying home and avoiding the rest of us? the entire problem is these people living in total fear and totally ignorant of the facts seem to think their job and that of government is to dictate to the rest of us what we must do because they demand it. or else! that is going to be an even bigger problem in the near future i fear.
They need to keep their bots out of Florida.
The Governor is doing a great job. Nothing happens over night . Every job is essential, especially for people to be able to put food on their table.
The state has lost tourism, cruise lines and couldn’t pay unemployment for workers of course he’s for all opening up, there’s no revenue for services. Covid-19 be damned were gonna open all the way…
Lock downs are going to bankrupt the country. And they don’t work. Who is going to ask Joe lefty and his left wing Governors where is the vaccine? Tell Washington to butt out!
That’s EXACTLY what they’re designed to do.
Stop making this a political issue. Listen to the science not the politics. Thank God for democracy.
As a disney world cast member, I wish all you people would just stay home. I’ve had so many friends get covid. Being it home and watch their loved ones die. Bars are not essential, and there is no reason to have indoor dining. I’m sorry most Americans are too stupid too realize that it’s not a real problem until it affects them personally. Desantis is a piece of trash.
No! Take a hike!
New York tried reclosing our restaurants and they took the state to court, and won! The findings showed that only 1.4% of the new cases were caused by restaurants and bars. Over 40% came from in home transmission. Therefore the mandate to close the restaurants was overturned and they were allowed to reopen.
Infuriating. That’s the plan? Sure, they want to shut it all down, no problem. Print every affected person a 100% paycheck, as if it was biz as usual. It’s easy for them to say in Washington collecting their $$$ with no worries.
I like to know why all those people making decisions about our lives (that actually forget we pay their salary) don’t cut their salaries in half to help all those business people that they want to close down and the workers that deep end of those business to support their family.I don’t see any of them making any sacrifices
That is so stupid there is going to be a lot of problems if they have Florida shut down again I know I live in Florida it was bad when it was closed the first time
Lock downs in any state may slow it down, but it wont stop the virus. Covid is here to stay just like the flu and the common cold. Peopel will have to adjust and increase self awareness and hygiene practices. We cant lock down and quarantine the entire world 24/7 for the rest if eternity.
I plan to continue wearing a mask after vaccination and maybe after COVID. It’s a jungle out thete
Mind your own business Joe. Things are working well here in Florida so why in the world would you use the mess in California or New York as a guide. It is up to the States to best protect their citizens.
So Joe, mind your own business.
Leave our state alone, we still have too many people out of work. Unless the politicians are going to support ALL the families they want to put out of work then they need to take a flying leap. Less government dependency.
FL is doing everything right. Everyone is masking up and everywhere you go people are distancing. This is rediculous and NOT necessary.
I agree with Jessica
Let the people that want to eat at a restaurant enjoy their right to support their local restaurant’s. And the other that want to stay home should stay home.
If this is as dire as they say, then everyone should have been in lockdown from day one. Lock everyone down. Put a freeze on everyone’s bills, mortgage payment, etc. If it’s that life and death, than do that. You can’t expect people to pay their bills without a job and these stimulus checks/unemployment doesn’t cut it. What’s NOT okay is picking and choosing who can stay open and who can’t. I live in Michigan and it’s ridiculous here. Casinos can be open but restaurants can’t. Why? Because casinos generate a lot of tax dollars for the state. Meanwhile restaurants are going out of business left and right. I’m tired of it!
It’s all about money people. And the people who make the rules don’t have financial problems…….
Best Governor in Florida history. Thank God we have a sensible and steady hand that is driving us through this troubling time. This is why I voted for DeSantis
Florida is number 25 in corona virus cases pretty much on the middle even with the highest elderly population. So, this is ridiculous.
well if we didnt let our state depend on tourist and when they come down and bring the virus with them and dont wear masks in public places yes we need to be shut down if people dont wanna obey the rules i dont like masks but wear them to protect myslef and others so huh
I don’t get all the arm chair doctors and scientist, the literal start of this pandemic shutdown it sucked the didn’t like it but guess what, they’ve moved on all there stuff is open normal life is continuing. You can’t say lockdowns don’t work when it’s proven a real lockdown does. Restaraunts are literally the exact definition of a place to get covid, a confined place where everyone is not masked and eating talking in close contact with each other. Closing restaurant dining areas seems the least that we could do, I don’t know why people want this to drag out.
It’s unfortunate that some people haven’t be educated appropriately. Extremely unfortunate. This is America. You should educate yourself. It’s your responsibility. Not others.
Lockdowns definitely work. Social distancing works. It’s ignorance that continues to keep America in the current state. Look at the plans of other countries. They work the US is special. Until the US understands they aren’t “special” and that they must be accountable we will continue to be unnecessarily in the state. People are dying. I suppose you will not understand fully until you lose someone close to you.
Wow to the people saying Lockdowns work!(they 100% do not even the WHOs webpage admitted it) what do you tell the people that lost their jobs and buisnesses?? How many years of our lives are we going to surrender to this? If you’re scared stay home no one is forcing you to leave your house! The government has no right to steal anyone’s job or buisness from them!
At what point are we going to focus on building OUR internal germ fighter AKA – our immune system!! If we put as much emphasis in supporting a healthy immune system as we did a damn mask- we would be in a much better shape
The elected and appointed officials in Washington CAN NOT even take care of the the affairs that they are entrusted to so how do they figure to give directives and such to various States of what use to be a great country!?!
This is so stupid. They have no idea what closing the small businesses does to peoples lives. And what logic is there in closing the corner shop, but letting the giant box stores remain open. As an unfortunate employee of a big box store, I can tell you that this pandemic has been insanely profitable for them. 2020 was insanely busy. I get that you want to be safe, but putting people into debt and homeless is a major problem. People have families to feed. Please don’t let fear overtake your sense of logic and proper planning.
If everyone wore a mask, we would be almost over this
What about public swimming pools, such as any hotel pools? Shouldn’t they close down too? Or any other public gathering or celebration, like the entire Disney World. And why is the White House recommendation this? Shouldn’t they do some type of executive order and force the shut down? So does this mean Disney World is going in the ways of Disneyland?
Why would you write an article about a report that came out on Jan 16th from the previous administration and play it off as if it just came out?
Please do your job and cite references to your claims unless the whole point was to get clicks and you are just another Russian Troll duping the “alternative facts” crowd…
The source is in the post dufus.
Does this mean Disney World will shut down soon? I need to know so that I can give up this year and move my plans to next year.
God bless our Governor!! Lockdowns hurt people more.
Why does it seem that the people who tell you to close your business, stay home and stop being selfish usually have a paycheck Coming in.
Horrible “article”!! All one has to do is look at California to know lockdowns DON’T work. Ms Phillips you stay in Washington with your fat cat and leave Florida alone!
So, our article is bad because you don’t like the subject matter? We’re just reporting what was said. Get over it.
Words from the wise, “Lockdowns do not work.” What a joke. It boils down to money, not to people’s lives. There are signs on windows in stores that you must wear a mask yet people do not and no one enforces it. People are being selfish, if you want to risk your own health and families that is your choice, but do not risk the lives of others because of your civil liberties! I have watched to many people die or become very ill from this virus. I suppose in order for people to really see what this virus is capable of, someone close to them will have to suffer. And that is such a shame.
Leave FL alone. We are doing just fine! The susceptible & elderly need to stay home. Otherwise, stay out of it, WH Task Force! If there are specific areas that need to be addressed, then show the facts & why. I live in Walton Co. & our COVID numbers are low. Masks & distance- reasonable. Closing is NOT! The only problem I have with being here is that I’m trying to buy, but can’t compete with multiple cash offers on day one. Doesn’t that tell you something? People are LEAVING those depressing closed places & moving HERE. Until those states can get things under control under their complete shutdowns, leave FL alone!!!
We shall never close. In fact we need to normalize 100% and move on.
I believe that most people agree that the virus spreads from person to person by breathing in particles that others breathe out and touching surfaces and other things and then touching your face. So if you want to minimize the spread of the disease then people need to stay out of situations where they can catch it, use masks, keep your hands clean, etc. right?
Having policies that restrict gatherings or require masks doesn’t matter if people don’t or can’t follow them. But that is human nature…or at least it is in the United States. I worked at Disneyland for 13 years. I learned that the quickest way to severely piss people off was to restrict their freedom of movement. When we needed to have people stay in one place for a long period of time, it was always for safety reasons but it’s hard for individuals to see it that way in the moment. From the very beginning of the pandemic when the lock-downs were put in place I knew this was not going to work over the long term. People still want to gather together and do things they want to do and they’ll find a way to do it, even if it’s discouraged or not permitted.
California has a lot of people. And as many have observed on this board, COVID infections and deaths are a big problem even with the restrictive policies. But I imagine it would be even worse if the policies were not in place. But in the end, the policies were never going to be the cure because people still end up gathering someplace or don’t want to wear masks and end up spreading the disease anyway.
It’s an impossible decision for anyone who cannot work from home. To risk financial ruin and the health-risks that come with that or risk dying from COVID or causing a loved one to die? It seems very reasonable to me that people are going fall all along that decision spectrum.
It also seems like a no-win situation for our government leaders too. In the end they have to decide whether they want to be known for destroying the economy and trying save lives or the opposite approach. Personally, I would choose to do whatever I could to minimize death and provide as much financial aid as possible to those who are out of a job. But that’s me.
My point is that we’re all in this together, so don’t go after people just because they would make different choices from you. Just respect different viewpoints like true Americans should.
Florida and the citizens there are better off than people who are locked down in N.Y. and California. Those people are starving and have no money to pay their bills! At least in Florida they have a chance to earn a living! Plus the death rate I’d about the same ratio! Leave Florida alone! They are doing fine!
If you took the states with the least and most lockdowns and showed COVID-19 infection and deaths stats from them to a person who didn’t know what policies each state had, that person would be unable to tell you which states had the strongest measures, because it doesn’t show up in the data.
Now if you showed them unemployment numbers…that’s when you would see a difference between lockdown and open states. Don’t back down Desantis!
Well, doesn’t seem that DeSantis’s unrestricted open policy is working, either folks.
He demonstrates a clear anti- science position, which is shockingly irresponsible during these uncertain and dangerous times.
I am an employee at a popular N.W. Florida restaurant and of course I absolutely disagree with closing restaurants and bars. That would be devastating to the employees. However this past summer our state soared in number of visitors who vacation led like there was no pandemic at all and while they flooded our state, buying up dwindling resources like water, and toilet paper most didn’t even wear a mask. Our state has a huge number of infected people because our governor didn’t stop all the tourists from flooding our state this past summer. All he would have to do is allow all vacation rentals that includes hotels, motels, and condos to operate at half capacity. This would massively reduce the number of people who will be here in a few weeks so our state wouldn’t be so overwhelmed and cram packed with people from all over the country bringing in countless new infected. Not to mention by closing restaurants and bars, where do you think these tourists will go. They’ll just pack in shopping and the beach cram packed on top of one another and majority will not be wearing masks.
New York is a case in point. Locked down for a full year. Mask mandate enforced. Didn’t help at all. Not at all. But… it DID destroy the state economy and drive people to move to Florida!
I think people get pissed when Walmart is allowed to thrive while restaurants are forced into bankruptcy.
I’ve been saying lockdowns don’t work, back in March 2020. Yes, they reduce cases obviously but not enough to make a dent in the cases. People also have to take responsibility for themselves by wearing the right mask. That’s what’s been fueling the spread…improper masks. I do agree with closing indoor dinning but keeping them open for takeout. Also our family only gets takeout. It’s our choice but we are also taking responsibility for ourselves. I just went back to work in a high risk job and we need the money. Our daughter went back to school and there’s already two cases. I’m worries but also confident the school is on top of things.
The governor does not want the lockdown it is White House COVID Task Force.
I live in Florida and would love for Desantis to take this seriously and for our state to get the virus under control. He needs to be voted out for his lack of seriousness about the pandemic and the high numbers here.