Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has drawn criticism for resisting issuing a mandatory statewide stay-at-home order, as 30 US states have already done.
So far only four counties in southern Florida are under “safer-at-home” restrictions, despite there being more than 85 deaths across the state’s 69 counties. Of the eight states with the highest number of Covid-19 cases, Florida is the only one without a mandatory lockdown order.
Earlier this month Mr DeSantis was panned for refusing to close beaches, even as spring break tourists flocked to the state.
“I think no matter what you do, you’re going to have a class of folks who just do whatever the hell they want to,” he said on Tuesday, as he called on Floridians to “just chill out and stay around the house as much as they can”.
“In terms of being social right now, this is just not the time to have big social gatherings.”
His reaction contrasts sharply with Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who has been praised for his early action to prevent the spread of coronavirus in his state.
Source: bbc.com