DeSantis proposes policy permanently banning Covid-19 vaccine and mask requirements and other pandemic mitigation measures in Florida - CNN

CNN  — 

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called connected authorities lawmakers to marque imperishable existing penalties for companies that necessitate each employees get the Covid-19 vaccination, his latest determination to curtail pandemic mitigation efforts.

The connection would widen indefinitely measures DeSantis signed successful 2021 that made Florida the archetypal authorities successful the state to endanger businesses with fines if they required workers to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Those measures pitted DeSantis and Florida against the national authorities implicit President Joe Biden’s efforts to get the country’s workforce inoculated – a standoff that helped boost the Republican governor’s popularity among conservatives.

Now, arsenic DeSantis considers moving for president, helium is reinstigating that battle.

This time, DeSantis has encouraged skepticism of Covid-19 vaccines altogether, staking retired a presumption acold to the close of his apical imaginable rival for the GOP nomination, erstwhile President Donald Trump, who continues to number the improvement of the vaccines arsenic 1 of his administration’s main accomplishments.

“They were incorrect astir lockdowns,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “They were incorrect astir disguise mandates. They were incorrect astir schoolhouse closures. They were incorrect astir mRNA shots. They were incorrect astir vax passports and vaccine mandates.”

DeSantis wants to marque imperishable laws passed successful November 2021 aft helium called a peculiar league successful effect to the Biden administration’s national vaccine mandate. Those measures, scheduled to expire astatine the extremity of June, included prohibitions connected disguise requirements successful schools and authorities and prohibited vaccines arsenic a information to travel.

DeSantis had called connected lawmakers to prohibition vaccine mandates outright and inflict punitive penalties connected businesses that didn’t comply and threatened to propulsion authorities protections against Covid-19-related businesses to immoderate institution that followed Biden’s mandate. But the Republican-controlled legislature wouldn’t spell that far. Instead, the measure that ended up connected DeSantis’ table said businesses could necessitate vaccination arsenic a information of employment if workers are allowed to opt-out done a aesculapian oregon spiritual exemption, impervious of earthy immunity oregon by submitting to regular investigating for Covid-19.

It’s not wide if DeSantis would widen the existing limitations connected vaccine requirements oregon if helium is suggesting caller authorities that would prohibition immoderate concern from making vaccines a information of employment.

In summation to proposing imperishable prohibitions connected strict disguise and vaccine mandates, DeSantis besides wants to forestall doctors from losing their aesculapian licence if they involvement retired positions that contradict aesculapian consensus. During Tuesday’s lawsuit successful Panama City Beach, DeSantis welcomed to the signifier a section dermatologist who has dispersed unsubstantiated Covid-19 conspiracies connected Twitter.

“We privation to person our aesculapian practitioners, peculiarly our physicians, beryllium protected with the state to beryllium capable to talk the truth,” DeSantis said.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, authorities House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, a Tampa Democrat, called DeSantis “the fig 1 peddler of a unsafe connection from the anti-vax establishment.”

“It is simply a fake ideology with existent consequences – 84,000-plus dormant Floridians and counting,” Driskell said. “Masks work, the CDC has proven that. The mRNA vaccines work.”

DeSantis’ much caller skepticism of vaccines is simply a reversal of his efforts successful aboriginal 2021, erstwhile his medication worked aggressively to marque shots disposable to seniors and the politician boasted astir the state’s velocity astatine distributing the vaccine.

“Florida Leads the Nation successful Vaccines for Ages 65+ with Seniors First Approach,” said a January 2021 property merchandise from his office.

At 1 point, DeSantis appeared connected Fox News alongside a 100-year-old World War II seasoned receiving a dose unrecorded connected air. At a property league successful July 2021, DeSantis delivered a full-throated backing of the vaccine’s effectiveness against the Covid-19 virus.

“If you are vaccinated, afloat vaccinated, the accidental of you getting earnestly sick oregon dying from Covid is efficaciously zero,” helium said astatine the time. “These vaccines are redeeming lives. They are reducing mortality.”

However, arsenic DeSantis acceptable his sights connected a imaginable showdown with Trump for the GOP information successful 2024, his nationalist enactment for the vaccine began to wane. He refused to accidental if helium had received a booster changeable – a presumption Trump called “gutless” successful a 2022 interrogation – and helium has made Florida an outlier successful its attack to the vaccine successful caller months. Under DeSantis, Florida became the only state to urge against vaccinating children and the authorities Department of Health has besides discouraged men nether 40 from getting the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine due to the fact that of concerns astir broadside effects.

Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, inflammation of the bosom and bosom lining, are uncommon aft mRNA vaccines, though they are much apt to hap among young men. The hazard of bosom inflammation is acold greater from Covid-19 than from vaccination.

DeSantis successful December besides successfully lobbied the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a expansive assemblage to analyse the development, organisation and promotion of the vaccine.