JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) 鈥 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday criticized recent efforts across the U.S. to tamp down a recent jump in COVID-19 cases through temporary restrictions or masking, and his state surgeon general warned against getting the latest COVID-19 vaccine, which is expected to be available this month.
The criticism from DeSantis at news conference in Jacksonville, Florida, arrived the same day that sent out an email to supporters vowing to 鈥渇ight back against every bogus attempt the Left makes to expand government control鈥 when it comes to COVID-19 precautions.
At the Jacksonville news conference in an Irish pub, DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo promised Florida won鈥檛 be joining states, cities or school districts across the U.S. in temporarily closing schools or mandating mask-wearing because of the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases.
鈥淧eople are lurching toward this insanity again,鈥 DeSantis said. 鈥淎s we see these things being orchestrated ... there needs to be pushback.鈥
Lapado said there were no arguments for getting the latest vaccine. 鈥淭here are a lot of red flags,鈥 he said.
Ladapo鈥檚 previous warnings against COVID-19 vaccines merited a public letter from federal health agencies saying his claims were harmful to the public. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent the letter in March to Ladapo, a DeSantis appointee who has over his close alignment with the governor in opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other health policies embraced by the federal government.
Ladapo last year released against COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children, contradicting federal public health leaders whose advice says all children should get the shots.
鈥淚t is the job of public health officials around the country to protect the lives of the populations they serve, particularly the vulnerable. Fueling vaccine hesitancy undermines this effort,鈥 said the letter signed by FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
DeSantis' news conference in Jacksonville came almost two weeks after three Black people were fatally shot by a 21-year-old white supremacist who authorities say left behind ramblings that read like 鈥渢he diary of a madman.鈥 At a vigil the day after the shootings, by the crowd during his speech.
This year, DeSantis signed a bill allowing people to carry guns without getting a state permit. He has antagonized civil rights leaders
During a question-and-answer period at Thursday's news conference, an unidentified man suggested the governor's policies contributed to the shootings. The governor responded angrily, saying he shouldn't be blamed for the actions of 鈥渟ome madman.鈥
鈥淚'm not going to allow you to accuse me of committing criminal activity,鈥 DeSantis said. 鈥淚'm not going to take that! I'm not going to take that!鈥
