Florida, America's Pandemic Playground

[Zorro]

Need a venue for a large indoor gathering — a national political convention, say? The state’s got you covered.



By now, Americans have come to expect a certain level of quirkiness from Florida. All that heat and humidity does something to people — not to mention the invading hordes of Northern and Midwestern retirees in search of bountiful sunshine and friendly tax laws. In recent years, “Florida Man” has become mocking shorthand for state denizens caught in acts of flamboyant idiocy, often involving some mix of drugs, guns, cops and predatory reptiles.

But in the age of Covid-19, Florida’s free spirit, welcoming nature and dependence on tourism dollars have been putting residents at a different level of risk, in many ways beyond their control. In the pandemic’s early days, local beaches and bars were overrun by cavorting Spring Breakers, carelessly spreading contagion in their wake. For a brief stretch in April, social-distancing restrictions were imposed to help slow the spread. But as the state has reopened, the virus has resurfaced with a vengeance. As of Wednesday, Florida had reported over 152,000 confirmed cases, 3,500 virus-related deaths and daily new-infection counts in the thousands.

Even so, the state’s leaders keep sending mixed signals on prevention. People are being urged to wear masks, and the sale of alcohol at bars has been suspended statewide. But Senator Rick Scott has repeatedly sneered at the idea of government ordering folks around, insisting that if you simply explain the risks, they will do the right thing. In an interview on Monday with Greta Van Susteren, he compared educating people on the need for masks to warning them of an approaching hurricane. Mr. Scott did not address the fact that hurricanes are not contagious.

Gov. Rick DeSantis also remains loath to require mask wearing and is largely leaving it to local officials to impose safety measures.

And now, to top it all off, Florida seems poised to become a Covid-19 theme park of sorts, a place willing to host large-scale, high-profile gatherings that more skittish — or perhaps more sensible — communities have deemed too hot to handle.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/opinion/coronavirus-florida-reopenings.html

[SWBTATTReg]

1. People will do the 'right thing'? Yeah, sure. If true, then why is the virus still spreading ...

among FL citizens?

There are a lot of good people in FL that are under cover, but their governor and senator are missing in action.

But Senator Rick Scott has repeatedly sneered at the idea of government ordering folks around, insisting that if you simply explain the risks, they will do the right thing.