Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came under scrutiny last month for declaring the WWE an “essential … [+] Florida’s task force to reopen the economy recommends sports venues open up next week and return to half-capacity by the middle of the month, even though nearly every reputable public health official says we don’t possess nearly enough coronavirus tests to even think about putting fans back into stands right now. The outrageous suggestion leads one to wonder whose interests these task forces are serving. Florida is one many states that’s convened a task force to figure out the best ways to re-open the state’s economy while officials continue to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus. There have been over 1 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and more than 60,000 deaths , surpassing the fatality total of U.S. troops during the Vietnam War. Florida has nearly 33,700 total confirmed cases and the number continues to rise. This week, there were 346 confirmed cases on Tuesday, 527 on Wednesday and 497 on Thursday. The federal government advises states wait until confirmed cases are on a downward trajectory for 14 days before easing stay-at-home orders. Gov. Ron DeSantis did not issue a stay-at-home order until April 3, despite a ballooning total of cases and harrowing images of college students flocking the state’s beaches during Spring Break. Even President Donald Trump, who’s now tweeting support for armed protesters demanding the re-opening of Michigan , pleaded with DeSantis to close down his state’s beaches, according to Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair . Florida is expecting to re-open some businesses Monday , mandating restaurants and retail spaces operate at 25% capacity. But DeSantis’ task force might be even more aggressive than him. The group, which is comprised of bipartisan public officials, health officials and […]
