Tallahassee – The White House Corona virus task force report on the state of the epidemic in Florida released on Saturday urges state leaders to take immediate action to slow the spread of the virus. The report says authorities should close or strictly control indoor dining, restrict efficiency in liquor stores and issue strong policies around wearing a mask. It is these same public health measures that government Ron Desantis has not publicly benefited from for months. When he sued that there were no new business restrictions, Desantis’ office refused to release reports from the task force, which suggested a much stronger public response. One of the December 6 reports received by the Center for Public Integrity was a series of weekly reports that the governor’s office continued to refuse to provide news organizations. The Tampa Bay Times began seeking reports on November 15 last month. No report has been received from the governor’s office. Earlier this week, the Orlando Sentinel and the South Florida Sun Sentinel sued the governor’s office for releasing statements. The governor’s office is said to have not released any of the weekly reports released in November. The White House task force, which includes top federal health officials and led by Vice President Mike Pence, contradicted Desantis’ public message in several ways in its December 6 report. The Republican governor rejected any trade restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, arguing that such measures would not work and would not harm the economy. “Despite the severity of the uprising and the threat to hospital systems, many state and local governments have not implemented the same mitigation policies to stem the tide of the summer uprising; it must happen now,” the federal report said. [ Center for Public Integrity ]During the summer uprising in Florida, Disantis’ administration banned drinking in pubs, but some states are now going to encourage public gatherings. Desandis often says that even during the worst of the summer outbreaks, Florida’s hospitals were not overcrowded, but some facilities faced staff shortages as enrollment increased. When asked if Desantis’ office was refusing to release the statements, they contradicted the state’s top official, and the governor’s office did not respond. The task force’s December 6 report found that Florida had fewer cases than its counterparts, compared to other states – many of which had imposed economic sanctions. Sunshine State has the 41st new cases per 100,000 residents, and the 33rd highest positive cases in the country as of the reporting date. Nevertheless, the report warns that “the rankings are almost inaccurate as the whole country rises, with 11,699 new cases reported in Florida on Friday, the highest since the state’s summer virus outbreak. Its positive incidence rate was 8.5 percent. Desantis has noted in recent weeks that a number of private vaccines have hit the market in recent weeks, giving hope for the country’s final recovery from the epidemic. The task force report warns that it will not be until late spring that enough Americans will be vaccinated enough to significantly reduce the risk of the virus spreading. During the winter, when respiratory diseases such as the corona virus thrive, the White House report says, “everyone’s significant behavioral change will require Americans to slow the spread of the virus.” The report said that anyone who came out of his house to say thank you should consider themselves now victims. People with pre-existing conditions and those over 65 should be provided with groceries and medicines for their home. Masks should be worn in public at all times. “Start warning about any crowds during the December holidays,” the report says in bold speech. If you read the Decantis report, he did not model the recommended behavior. On Friday, he appeared with his family at a high school football game. He tweeted a picture of himself standing in front of a crowd of hundreds of viewers with his wife Casey and their two children. The majority of people in the photo, including the governor, are unmasked. Visit Niceville High School to see iseNiceville_FB Edgewater High School in the 7A State Semifinals! pic.twitter.com/AKY3hAlo2z— Ron Tsantis (ovGovRonDeSantis) December 12, 2020 Times employee writer Megan Reeves contributed to this report.
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