“TALLAHASSEE – Amid a COVID-19 surge in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged Friday that he will block any effort to impose mask mandates, touting a forthcoming executive order to stop counties from requiring them in schools,” reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
“The announcement comes just “[d]ays after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance that everyone in K-12 schools should wear a mask regardless of their vaccination status.”
“‘In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida,’ DeSantis said at the campaign-like rally, where no one appeared masked.”
“In the executive order, DeSantis prohibits county school boards from requiring face coverings when students return to class in August, saying the decision about mask-wearing rests solely with parents.”
“Florida has been averaging more than 14,000 new COVID-19 cases a day for the past week and is considered one of the nation’s new virus hot spots – especially for the highly contagious delta variant.”