Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is proposing legislation to ban all COVID-19 protection requirements in the state of Florida, even in private businesses, despite the state having far-higher than average per-capita case and death rates.
Florida ranks eighth in total coronavirus cases per capita and thirteenth in total coronavirus deaths per capita. DeSantis calls his state a “refuge of sanity” in a press release announcing his anti-protection proposals.
The legislation DeSantis is urging would “prohibit vaccine and mask requirements in schools, masking requirements at businesses, and so-called vaccine passports showing proof of vaccination,” NBC News reports. “It would also bar employers from hiring or firing employees based on whether they have been vaccinated, and would prohibit the firing or de-licensing of medical professionals who might disagree on Covid protocols.”
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DeSantis would be using the power of law to strip private entities of their right to protect themselves and their employees from the deadly virus that currently kills on average 537 Americans every day, according to The New York Times.
Florida over the past two weeks has seen a brutal 90% increase in daily average of new COVID cases. Currently, nearly 38 people in Florida on average die from COVID each day.
But DeSantis, who has flouted the science on COVID for years, continues to put politics over health.
“This strong pro-freedom, anti-mandate action will permanently protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, protects parents’ rights, and institutes additional protections that prevent discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccine status,” the GOP governor, expected to launch a 2024 presidential run, said in his press release.
“When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin,” DeSantis continued. “These measures will ensure Florida remains this way and will provide landmark protections for free speech for medical practitioners.”
“The legislation will safeguard medical professionals from discrimination based on their personal religious views,” he adds in the press release, never once mentioning his state is far above average in COVID cases and deaths. “Governor DeSantis remains committed to ensuring COVID freedoms are upheld in Florida and will fight against local governments, businesses, and corporations that attempt to impose authoritarian policies surrounding COVID.”