DeSantis Suspends All COVID-19 Restrictions & Mask Mandates

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill that would allow the state to override local emergency orders in the state and limit the government’s ability to impose mask mandates and other social-distancing measures used to combat the coronavirus pandemic this past year. The new orders would make it difficult for local governments to mandate mask-wearing, restrict hours of operation, or place capacity limits on businesses. While blue states impose harsher lockdown tactics and mask mandates, red states are creating the structures to let people make decisions for their businesses, jobs, schools, and personal freedoms.

The announcement comes after hospitalization and case rate totals continue to decrease week after week in the state. Florida has seen a 13.8% decrease from the previous week’s tally of coronavirus cases, totaling 34,194 new cases down from 39,683. Cases in Florida have dropped in 48 counties, including the best declines in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

The bill, SB 2006, will go into effect on July 1 to bridge the gap between “then and now” suspending all COVID-19 restrictions and mandates on individuals and their businesses. Gov. DeSantis also issued two executive orders that would invalidate the current COVID-19 related emergency orders and ban COVID-19 vaccine passports.

“In order to protect the rights and liberties of individuals in this State and to accelerate the State’s recovery from the COVID-19 emergency, any emergency order issued by a political subdivision due to the COVID-19 emergency which restricts the rights or liberties of individuals or their businesses is invalidated,” DeSantis wrote.

Gov. DeSantis said the orders will protect people’s rights and invalidate any local emergency orders that restrict their individual freedoms. The bills will ensure that state and local governments cannot close businesses and keep kids out of school “unless they satisfy demanding and continuous justifications.” He also talked about people putting their trust in the vaccines rather than the D.C politicians that are sending the message to people that vaccines don’t work.

President Joe Biden is fully vaccinated and continues to wear his mask outdoors, even when no one is around. In updated CDC guidelines, people who are fully vaccinated can gather in small groups outdoors and ditch their masks. Biden’s senior adviser Anita Dunn shares that the President is taking “extra precautions” regarding his mask-wearing habits outdoors, but would not elaborate on what “science” he’s following or why he keeps calling it a “patriotic responsibility.”

Gov. DeSantis criticized the Biden Administration’s response to getting vaccinated and called Biden’s actions “anti-science.” He said the people in Washington tell everyone to get vaccinated, but then make sure that they continue to social distance and wear masks all the time. He claims that it sends the message that vaccines don’t work.

“Because if the vaccines worked, that would be your ticket to basically live normally, and make decisions for yourself. That would be the message that actually would work with people. So, I think that they’ve sent a message to say, ‘You know what? Get vaccinated, but it really isn’t going to do anything for you,’” DeSantis said.

He talked about how the FDA and CDC’s handling of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine helped contribute to vaccine hesitancy in the nation. Instead of issuing the appropriate warning labels for specific demographics, they just wiped it off the market.

The only reason for maintaining an anti-science posture is to keep restrictions in place, even with mass vaccination rates. Red states have embraced vaccines and science, wanting people to enjoy themselves and live freely. While blue states continue to enforce their COVID-19-related restrictions and mandates in the name of “science,” they aren’t using any science at all to make their case. By refusing to follow CDC guidelines, Democrats have made it clear that they don’t believe in the vaccine, data, or science. Only the lockdowns.