Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vice President Mike Pence discuss the state's efforts to combat COVID-19.
With COVID-19 cases rising in red states, Republican officials are caught between taking a hard line to tamp down the outbreak or staying consistent with Trump.“It is not an either/or choice,” Pence said. “We can slow the spread. We can flatten the curve, but it will take all of us.” He said he is “excited” to come to Jacksonville for August’s Republican National Convention.
DeSantis has refused to issue a statewide mask order, however, saying that action is best left to local governments as some small, rural counties have few cases and no need for a mandate. Earlier Thursday, Florida Democrats criticized the White House and DeSantis as needlessly endangering lives by“They have put politics ahead of public health,” said U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala , President Clinton’s Health and Human Services secretary. “We needed at the beginning to hit this virus with a hammer.”Meanwhile, Palm Beach County is being sued over its new ordinance requiring masks be worn in crowded public spaces.
The county commission passed the ordinance unanimously last week over the objection of opponents whose often angry claims were broadcast nationally.The county doesn’t comment on pending lawsuits, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have recommended masks be worn as they lessen the chance the wearer will spread the virus. They strongly dispute that masks cause harm. AboutDr.
“We are going to be in a very difficult situation for at least a month,” she said. “The behavior of people this [weekend] will be very critical. People really have to avoid congregating in groups and be sure to wear masks.”
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