Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Associated Press reports:
The mayor of one of Florida’s largest counties on Tuesday blasted Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he has been missing in action during the latest wave of COVID-19, as some counties brought back mask mandates for government workers and other municipalities opened up new testing sites in response to overwhelming demand.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said new restrictions placed by DeSantis and the Florida Legislature on actions that can be taken by local governments and private businesses to combat the virus have made fighting the pandemic more difficult.
A new law signed by DeSantis last month prevents businesses from having vaccine mandates unless they allow workers to opt out, bars schools and governments from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements.
The Orlando Sentinel reports:
“We have not received any assistance from the state of Florida at our testing sites,” Demings said. “All Florida residents should be outraged … where is Ron DeSantis now?”
Demings noted the state once had COVID testing sites throughout the region, which helped relieve the burden on local governments and also questioned why the governor hadn’t held a recent briefing on the virus.
DeSantis last spoke about COVID-19 on Dec. 17 alongside Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, promoting a monoclonal antibody therapy made by AstraZeneca.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings blasts DeSantis, expands COVID-19 testing, requires employees to wear masks amid omicron surge https://t.co/eH1xvM0Npt
— Steve Bousquet (@stevebousquet) December 28, 2021