Nikki Fried, one of the Democrats challenging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), is taking aim at his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming his head has been “in the sand since day one.”
As The Associated Press notes, Florida is leading the country in per capita hospitalizations for COVID-19. CNN’s John Avlon reported, “Florida has got nearly 25 times the number of people hospitalized for COVID than in all of Canada.”
When asked what went wrong, Fried told CNN, “We have a governor who has put his head in the sand from day one when it comes to the coronavirus, and he just doesn’t operate well under crisis, and that’s what’s happening here in the state.”
She added, “So at a time when we needed leadership, to be giving daily reporting numbers, which he stopped two months ago, he’s traveling around the state, working on his 2024 presidential bid.”
“We have a governor who has put his head in the sand from day one … he’s traveling around the state, working on his 2024 presidential bid.”
— The Recount (@therecount) August 2, 2021
— Florida gubernatorial candidate @NikkiFried (D) calls out Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for his handling of COVID.pic.twitter.com/iq19p0msoD
Fried’s comments come just days after DeSantis signed an executive order prohibiting local school districts from requiring students to wear masks.
“If you listen to some of the stuff that’s being percolated around the CDC, there’s a movement to try to impose more restrictions on the American people,” DeSantis said.
He added, “And I just want to say in Florida, there will be no lockdowns. There will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions or mandates in the state of Florida.”
DeSantis also argued in a statement it is “prudent to protect the ability of parents to make decisions regarding the wearing of masks by their children.”
Fried was asked whether she would support a statewide mask mandate. She replied, “Every county needs to make their own decisions. No statewide mask mandate, but I certainly would want every school board to have the power to make the right decisions for their own communities.”