Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed an executive order Monday (May 3) immediately suspending all local COVID-19 outbreak emergency orders and related public health restrictions in the state.
According to CNBC, DeSantis said at a news conference, “The fact is, we are no longer in a state of emergency.” He acknowledged that Florida’s fight against the outbreak of the Chinese communist virus (Wuhan virus, New Coronavirus) is still not over, but reiterated that the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the state are on the decline.
DeSantis said, “I think it’s an evidence-based approach.” He added that requiring people who have been vaccinated to continue wearing masks will undermine the public’s confidence in the CCP virus vaccine.
After the executive order is published, private companies will still be able to require masks and implement social distancing and other vaccination measures.
DeSantis signed a bill Monday making the executive order into law and making it effective July 1. He said the executive order is intended to fill a previous gap. The measure effectively ends all local restrictions related to the outbreak, while also banning vaccine passports.
Florida has reported more than 2.2 million COVID-19 infections since the outbreak began, the third highest number in the United States, and the fourth highest number of deaths at more than 35,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. However, the average number of new infections in Florida has dropped by more than 13 percent in the past week to 4,885 as of Sunday, according to the data.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Last week, the Biden administration announced a relaxation of federal public health guidelines regarding the wearing of masks outdoors.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people who are fully vaccinated be allowed to exercise without masks, as well as attend small gatherings outdoors. However, the agency still recommends that fully vaccinated individuals still wear masks in crowded outdoor areas.
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