Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday for banning the use of masks in schools, suggesting that face covers are ineffective as deaths from COVID-19 in the state soared.
DeSantis’ crusade to prevent COVID-19 restrictions has drawn the ire of local officials, including Gelber, who accused the governor of “killing people” by banning masked mandates.
“The governor made this a political issue. He treats children almost like political pawns. He doesn’t worry about us, he makes a political point for a national election,” Gelber told CNN. “His politics literally kill people.”
As COVID-19 cases increased across the state this summer, DeSantis, whose name was announced as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, banned local officials from enforcing COVID-19 restrictions, including masking requirements for schools. After many Florida school districts vowed to oppose his ban on mask mandates, DeSantis also threatened to withhold funding from teachers.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber beat up Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday for banning masks in schools and advising that face coverings were not effective. In this photo, DeSantis speaks during an event where first responder bonuses will be given out on August 10, 2021 at the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside in Surfside, Florida.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
“At this point it’s pretty obvious because there isn’t a metric that he can look up and say his policies are good for the Floridians,” Gelber said. “There are local school officials who literally have to act boldly and potentially lose their jobs and incomes to protect the children whose families have elected them to these offices.”
Florida has led the US in new coronavirus cases in the past few months, with the highest rate of child hospitalizations in the nation. Cases declined slightly last week – about 150,500 compared to 151,500 last week – but deaths rose from about 1,070 last week to 1,480 this week.
DeSantis attacked the effectiveness of wearing masks to control the spread of the virus in the community at a summit Wednesday, saying, “Politicians want to force you to cover your face in order to cover your own asses … although this has not been proven to be effective be.”
Gelber condemned the statements made by DeSantis and called them “absolutely idiot”.
“He should be out there trying to get people to wear masks. Every major medical group, including pediatricians, has said it is healthy, ”he said. “We have a lot of freedom, but we also know that we all live together. And if you send your children to school and say ‘he won’t wear a mask’, he can infect another child.”
Rather than impose restrictive measures to limit the spread of the virus, DeSantis has surrounded itself with health professionals who have been pushing for a more targeted response to the pandemic, such as controversial Stanford professor Jay Bhattacharya.
Newsweek has contacted the DeSantis office for comment.
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