Republicans have proven their anti-science bonafides but in the midst of a deadly global pandemic spreading lies is not only dangerous, it could be deadly.
The nation decimated Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp last week blatantly lied during a coronavirus press conference. He told his Peach State constituents, “we didn’t know that until the last 24 hours,” that coronavirus can be spread by asymptomatic people. In reality, for weeks if not longer that was a well-known fact.
Thursday afternoon Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, shared this lie – a false claim that could easily lead to spread of the virus and even death:
“This particular pandemic is one where, I don’t think, nationwide there’s been one single fatality under 25 – for whatever reason, it just doesn’t seem to threaten, you know, kids,” the 41-year old father of three said.
“We lose in Florida between five and 10 kids a year for the flu, this one for whatever reason – much more dangerous if you’re 65 and plus than the flu, no doubt about that. If you’re younger it just hasn’t had an impact. So that should factor into how we’re viewing this.”
DeSantis infamously refused to close his beaches during spring break, allowing college students to pick up and then spread the virus throughout the nation.
On the facts, DeSantis is literally dead wrong.
The Washington Post reports it has identified nine people under the age of 20 who died from the coronavirus.
The Post also “found at least 45 deaths among people in their 20s, at least 190 deaths among people in their 30s, and at least 413 deaths among people in their 40s.”
It also found “at least 759 people under age 50 across the United States who have perished amid the deepening pandemic.”
Watch Florida’s governor spread his dangerous claims:
Many were angered and appalled: