Over 800 Florida physicians are reacting to state COVID-19 policies that Governor Ron DeSantis has championed.
“As the virus burns through Florida, health care providers feel we are fighting this fire without any leadership from Gov. Ron DeSantis,” the open letter says. “Blocking communities from making local decisions to protect themselves with his top-down, one-size-fits-all edict will only make matters worse.”
Governor DeSantis has consistently said his position is around individual rights and the right of parents to make the decision on behalf of their children. This has become a red hot issue that will likely continue through the 2022 gubernatorial election. The Florida physicians responded to that specific issue as well.
“Asking local schools and jurisdictions to look the other way while COVID-19 tears through our communities, or lose funding if they implement safeguards, won’t protect kids. Waving the flag of personal choice, as Gov. DeSantis does, even as those choices endanger the lives of others only robs millions of Floridians of the freedom to eat out, be with their loved ones and, yes, learn in schools safely,” they signed.
“His executive order prohibiting local school districts from implementing COVID-19 safeguards exposes every child to a virus that is deadlier than the flu, as contagious as smallpox and preventable with two basic mitigation measures: Mask use and vaccinations,” the letter adds.
To read the full letter, posted by the Committee to Protect Health Care, click here. It concludes: “Enough is enough. Florida needs to mask up, get vaccinated, and have a governor willing to lead.”
