It has been nearly a year since the first case of the Chinese communist virus (Wuhan pneumonia) appeared in the United States. During this time, California and Florida have responded to the outbreak in different ways, with very different prevention effects and economic impacts.
Florida is more open and less restrictive than California. To date, the state has recorded just over 1.5 million cases of the CCP virus; California, which has one of the toughest lockdowns in the country, has recorded almost twice as many cases since the outbreak began.
While Florida’s population of 21 million is smaller than California’s 39.3 million, the two states have roughly the same number of cases per 100,000 residents.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been repeatedly criticized for his harsh measures to combat the epidemic, ordered counties that reached a certain threshold of cases to close bars, indoor restaurants and other businesses during 2020.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, however, has taken a different approach. While he took similar measures to Newsom in the early days of the outbreak, he allowed bars and restaurants to open through June 2020; a few months later, he lifted more economic restrictions statewide and banned law enforcement from fining people for not wearing masks.
In October 2020, DeSantis said that closing schools across the state because of the outbreak was not feasible and “should be eliminated.”
Meanwhile, most of California’s 6 million public school students have been studying remotely since the outbreak began in March. The Democratic governor announced a $2 billion plan late last month to push the state’s schools to allow their youngest students back into the classroom starting in February 2021.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of deaths from the infection in Florida – 110 per 100,000 residents – once exceeded the number of similar deaths in California – 81 per 100,000 residents. However, the higher number may be a reflection of the higher number of elderly deaths in Florida.
However, CDC data shows that California’s death rate is gradually surpassing Florida’s, with a 7-day average of 1.4 deaths per 100,000 residents compared to 0.8 deaths per 100,000 residents in Florida. And as of last Saturday (Jan. 16), California also had a higher rate of positive tests, with 105 new cases/100,000 residents, compared to 64 cases/100,000 residents in Florida for the same category.
On January 18, California reached a grim milestone of 3 million cases of the CCL virus and one death every six minutes in Los Angeles County.
Meanwhile, California’s hospitalization rate has surpassed Florida’s at 56 per 100,000 residents, compared to about 36 per 100,000 residents in Florida.
Fox News reached out to Newsom’s team for comment on the huge, related gap between the two states.
Businesses are choosing to leave California for Florida, etc.
The two states’ very different preparedness measures have had a corresponding impact on the local economy and job environment. Governor Newsom’s draconian ban on the epidemic has resulted in the closure and relocation of numerous businesses and record unemployment and crime rates across the state.
Among the California Exodus contingent are tesla CEO Elon Musk and Hewlett-Packard, two prominent companies that have already said they will relocate to Texas.
Miami, Florida, is one of the hot spots for players to head to as more and more major tech companies are leaving or planning to leave California. Among them are Alexis Ohanian, founder of the Reddit social networking site.
With a steady stream of startup investors, combined with a pleasant climate, diverse population and generous tax policies, Miami, which intends to establish itself as “Silicon Valley II,” may one day replace California’s “Silicon Valley,” which has had high taxes for years.
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