Amid a rising call for COVID-19 mandate policies, including mask mandates, in various parts of the U.S., Governor Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign is emphasizing Florida's stance against such measures as a key achievement.
Recently, an elementary school principal in Silver Spring, Maryland, announced in an email to parents that due to "3 or more" individuals testing positive for COVID-19 within the past 10 days, mandatory masking would be implemented in "identified classes or activities." The principal also mentioned that masking would become optional again after a 10-day period.
Responding to this situation, the DeSantis War Room, an online account closely affiliated with Governor DeSantis' political team, highlighted Florida's unique position. They pointed out that Florida, under DeSantis' leadership, had permanently banned school mask mandates two years ago, sparing Florida's children from such requirements.
In a separate post, the DeSantis War Room shared a map of states that had implemented a series of bans, including those on state and local lockdowns, mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and gain-of-function research. Florida stood out as the only state to have enacted all of these restrictions on COVID-19 policies.
Reacting to President Joe Biden's decision to wear a mask indoors again, especially following First Lady Jill Biden's positive COVID-19 test, the DeSantis War Room criticized such actions as "INSANITY."
Governor DeSantis, known for his strong opposition to COVID-19 restrictions, signed legislation in May permanently prohibiting COVID-19 restrictions in both public and private sectors. This includes bans on COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates in schools.
DeSantis' stance on these policies is clear: "The purpose of [those policies] was not to safeguard your health. The purpose of them was to control your behavior," he stated when signing the legislation. He emphasized Florida's commitment to protecting its residents while rejecting what he described as federal "biomedical security theater."
DeSantis is set to resume his presidential campaign after dealing with Hurricane Idalia, with his opposition to past COVID-19 lockdown policies taking center stage. At a recent GOP primary debate, he passionately expressed his views, vowing to resist lockdowns and criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci, advocating for his removal from his position. DeSantis promised to keep the state free and open, emphasizing his commitment to preventing government overreach in response to the pandemic.
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