DeSantis’s War on Health and Science
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attacks science and public health officials as Florida leads the nation in COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Ron DeSantis wants to be president and he is willing to sacrifice public health and school children to further his political ambitions. The Republican Governor is blocking local school districts, public health officials, and even private businesses from enacting policies to slow the spread of COVID as Florida becomes ground zero for the deadly delta variant.
Sunstar Paramedics admit a patient to the emergency room at the Morton Plant Hospital amid a coronavirus disease outbreak in Clearwater, Fla, on Aug. 3. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)
By Philip Bump
There is no real mystery undergirding Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) decision not to advocate for measures aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus in his state. During the first six months of the year, when cases were falling, he made his future ambitions very clear, embracing a variety of right-wing culture-war fights with an obvious eye toward maximizing his position for the 2024 Republican primary.
‘If Florida were another country, we would have to consider banning travel from Florida to the United States’ — Listen to this doctor rip apart Gov. Ron DeSantis’ COVID-19 response.