Asked whether it will be safe for people over 65 or with underlying health conditions to attend the convention, Pence didn’t answer directly. “We’re excited about coming to Jacksonville,” he said. “I was at a meeting not long ago when I heard about very sophisticated plans to make sure it’s a safe and healthy environment.”
In Tampa, DeSantis was asked if he had any “personal responsibility” for the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Florida, while other states such as New York and New Jersey were seeing cases decline. “Well, do you give credit for Florida for having a much lower fatalities per 100,000 than all the states you just praised?” DeSantis shot back. “We have fewer fatalities than some of these states have just in nursing homes.”
At DeSantis’ direction, Florida has rolled back part of its reopening, closing all bars in the state last week to all but takeout business. Florida took that action as an increasing number of young people became infected with the virus and several bars closed voluntarily. To avoid encouraging large crowds, local governments in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties have ordered beaches closed through the July Fourth weekend.
And on Thursday night, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez announced a countywide daily curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice. He also rolled back the opening of entertainment facilities such as movie theaters, arcades, casinos, adult entertainment, concert houses and bowling alleys, effective Friday.
Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo
Beachgoers enjoy a day on the sand near a lifeguard stand, Wednesday, June 10, 2020, on Miami Beach, Florida’s famed South Beach.
“This curfew is meant to stop people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has shown to be spreading the virus rapidly,” he said.
DeSantis said he believes these measures are reminding residents they need to be careful. “Now, people understand, this thing doesn’t just go away,” he said. “You can do a lot of things if you take some small precautions.”
The rising numbers of coronavirus cases have raised questions about DeSantis’ leadership and his close ties to Trump, whom he consulted before allowing businesses to begin reopening.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, who represents parts of Miami, said, “In their rush to reopen, they’ve put politics ahead of public health.”
Shalala said DeSantis made a mistake by not acting sooner to shut the state down. “We needed at the beginning to hit this virus with a hammer, to starve it all the way down,” she said. “We didn’t do the right thing in the beginning, and now we’re trying to play catch-up.”