Let’s talk about Florida for a moment. This week, Governor DeSantis (read: DeathSentence) has decided that FL is ready to move to Phase III of re-opening. This means that bars and restaurants can re-open at full capacity, requiring only limited social distancing. It also means that gyms are allowed to open to full capacity, but that has already happened in practice during Phase II.
On top of that, he has issued an edict that restricts local municipal governments from enacting mask requirements. DeSantis (still read: DeathSentence) infamously declared that the State of Florida will enact no mask requirements during the entire pandemic. He has also parroted Donald Trump’s words about how this pandemic is not bad and will disappear soon.
Now, it should be noted that Florida has never even reached CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines for Phase I re-opening. There has never been a documented 14-day downward trajectory of cases in the state. ICU beds are over 80% in most of the state. Being lower than this is in the guidelines for Phase I. As well, positive tests need to be below 10% of tested population for 14 days to enter Phase III. This has not happened.
Currently, the State of Florida is averaging more than 2,000 positive Covid-19 cases EVERY SINGLE DAY. To help with the math, this is more than 14,000 positive cases a week. As of this writing, Florida stats for Covid-19 stand at nearly 700,000 cases over the course of the pandemic, and nearly 14,000 deaths as a result of these infections.
What is most worrying about Phase III is that it allows visitors back into senior living facilities. Seniors are a high-risk group for Covid-19 infection and death. The virus has never been controlled in the state, but DeSantis has no problem placing the most vulnerable of his constituents at risk. Admittedly, this part surprises me considering seniors tend to vote conservatively.
Why is this happening? Because Trump wants it and DeSantis is the back end of that human centipede. As well, Covid wave 1.5 will have a suppressive effect on voting. Democrats will be less likely to go vote.
Yes, they can vote by mail, but remember, Trump has spent the past month working to delegitimize these votes. Senator Rick Scott (read: Voldemort) is now pushing legislation that would limit the time allowed to vote the mail-in and absentee ballots. In his bill, states would have 48 hours, and any votes not counted in that period would just not count. This is voter suppression in the worst way. Luckily, this bill has no chance of becoming law.
This is a war for the soul of the United States. Let us be clear: Governor Ron DeSantis is a war criminal.