Over 800 physicians call on DeSantis to repeal anti-mask order in Florida schools
More than 800 physicians signed a letter on Thursday calling on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to repeal an executive order that prohibits local officials from requiring masks in school.
Driving the news: DeSantis is threatening to withhold pay from superintendents and school board members who mandate face masks in schools, even as Florida experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations driven by the Delta variant.
What they're saying: DeSantis' executive order "exposes every child to a virus that is deadlier than the flu, as contagious as smallpox and preventable with two basic mitigation measures: Mask use and vaccinations," the doctors said. "What’s heartbreaking and infuriating for us as doctors is watching children needlessly suffer while Gov. DeSantis rejects simple protections such as masks and vaccinations."
State of play: The physicians are asking the governor to "allow and encourage" local school districts to implement mask-wearing for in-person learning. They are also asking DeSantis to resume reporting COVID-19 daily data. Florida became the first state to provide only weekly updates, citing decreasing cases. DeSantis must also do "much more" to encourage Floridians to get vaccinated, the physicians said.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/over-800-physicians-call-desantis-155920568.html