Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will keep restaurants open amid the pandemic and criticized New York for suspending dinner indoors, while shocking photos show state bars full of people without masks. drinking and dancing.
On Tuesday, the governor defended the restaurants during a press conference inside Okeechobee Steakhouse in West Palm Beach, the state’s oldest restaurant.
“At a time when people in our service industries, particularly in restaurants, lodging and hospitality, have brought it to the chin, especially in some other states that have been completely closed, we just want to send the message, it’s possible let some close you down. We want to throw you up, “DeSantis said, punching New York.
Florida restaurants, bars and nightclubs were allowed to reopen at full capacity in late September despite the threat of the virus.
This week’s shocking photos show crowds of young people without masks drinking, wrapped firewood and partygoers ignoring social distancing protocols in bars and nightclubs.
On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would keep restaurants open amid the pandemic and criticized states like New York for suspending indoor meals despite cases of coronavirus in the state.
What pandemic? Saturday evening shows a crowded scene between The Office’s kitchen and bar in Delray Beach
Dancing all night! The patrons performed without masks and dancing closely with each other at Capones on Dec. 10 in Fort Lauderdale.
Long wait times: a view of a full line to enter the Tin Roof bar in Delray Beach, pictured Saturday evening
Florida’s approach to handling the pandemic has differed markedly from New York, which closed the indoor dining hall Monday due to an increase in COVID-19 infections.
DeSantis said most new cases of COVID-19 come from meetings at home and cited a recent report from the New York government that found that 1.4% of new cases of coronavirus go back to restaurants and bars.
“We need to understand that the vast majority of infections occur in people’s homes, especially if there are people who gather, so closing a restaurant to eat indoors will cause more people than that. do it in private homes, ”DeSantis said.
‘Even if you think it exceeds more than 1.4%, the right answer is to inform people about situations where you may be at higher risk. Do not close. Let individuals make decisions about what they feel comfortable doing, ”he added.
On Tuesday, the governor advocated keeping restaurants open at a press conference at Okeechobee Steakhouse in West Palm Beach, the state’s oldest restaurant.
DeSantis said he met with Okeechobee Steakhosue staff and some talked about the importance of keeping the doors open during the pandemic. Former Theresa Hodgdon server
An outside view of Okeechobee Steakhouse, the oldest meat restaurant in the state, above
“We have our backs if you’re someone who is a waitress, or a cook, or if you’re a family business, you’re an important part of our state,” DeSantis said.
“You are working with people who work hard to make a living. You have every right to do so. You will have that right defended by the governor,” he added.
Restaurant waitress Theresa Hodgdon, a single mother of two, shed tears at the press conference and thanked the governor for allowing the meat restaurant to be open.
The governor also noted that about 40 states have a higher number of infections and hospitalizations per capita for COVID-19 than Florida.
As of Wednesday, Florida has recorded more than 1,155,335 cases of coronavirus and more than 20,200 deaths of residents.
Out of control: partygoers fight outside Budda Garden in Delray Beach on Saturday afternoon
No social distancing: crowds show up nearby without masks in Capones on Dec. 10 in Fort Lauderdale
The patterns in the image were very close to Capones on December 10th
Florida has seen steady increases in COVID-19 cases since mid-October, just weeks after the governor announced that the state was in Phase 3 reopening, allowing restaurants and bars to operate at full capacity in end of September
Florida has seen steady increases in COVID-19 cases since mid-October, a few weeks after the governor announced that the state was in Phase 3 reopening, allowing restaurants and bars to operate at full capacity by the end of September.
The state now reports an average of more than 9,000 cases a day. On Tuesday the state reported a positivity rate of 9.28 percent.
Video footage of a DJ set and dance party at Fort Lauderdale’s McSorley’s Peach Pub showing dozens of people full of people together, many of them seen without masks dancing, have appeared this week.
As of Wednesday, Florida has recorded more than 1,155,335 cases of coronavirus and more than 20,200 deaths of residents. A group of partygoers at the McSorley’s Beach Pub in Fort Lauderdale, upstairs
Dancing All Night: A View of the Full Hollywood Live Nightclub in Hollywood, Florida, this previous week
Attendees at the concert danced all night without wearing masks and ignoring social distancing at Boca Raton’s Rock n Angels bar and club on November 22
Some nightclubs and bars have had long queues to get in and have seen guests dancing in the nearby area and being in groups without masks.
On Wednesday, residents in the village of John Knox on Pompano Beach were one of the first long-term care centers in the country to receive the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 16 million cases of coronavirus have been reported and more than 306,000 people have died.
