South Florida Newspaper Implores DeSantis to Issue Statewide Mask Order

The largest daily newspaper in South Florida says Gov. Ron DeSantis should order a statewide mask requirement in public, claiming the outbreak of the novel coronavirus “continues to careen out of control.”

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel’s editorial, headlined “Help us out, Gov. DeSantis. We’re dying here,” referred to the record 216 deaths the state reported on Wednesday, which was more than the previous record of 186 on Tuesday. That number climbed to 252 on Thursday and 256 on Friday.

According to worldometers.info, Florida ranks eighth in most deaths among states, with 6,843, although it is the third most populous. It is second in total number of infections behind California, but its seven-day moving average of new daily cases has been declining since July 16, with 9,007 new infections reported Friday.
It is fourth among states in total infections per 1 million and 19^th in deaths per 1 million at 319, below the national average of 474.

Additionally, of the 470,386 cases reported in Florida, 173,873 – or 37 percent – have been registered in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, in South Florida. Similarly, of the state’s deaths, 34 percent have been in the same two counties.

“Your refusal to impose a mask order — a requirement now in effect in 32 other states — is out-of-touch with the mainstream,” the Sun-Sentinel editorial board wrote.

It added that DeSantis’ refusal to require masks throughout the peninsula is what is requiring Floridians quarantine for 14 days should they travel to 12 different states.

• Experts: Face Shields Help, but Wear a Mask Too
• Dems Propose Bill Mandating Masks in Airports, Planes