Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized Philadelphia politicians after it became the first major city to reimpose an indoor mask mandate. DeSantis warned that other blue municipalities would likely follow and vowed that Florida would never lock down as long as he remains governor.
The City of Philadelphia reimposed its indoor mask mandate last week, though it will not go into effect until Monday. Masks will now be required in all “non-essential” buildings or events, including bars, restaurants, pro sporting events and gyms.
Philadelphia’s Health Department cited rising case rates in making their decision. Hospitalization rates have not ticked up, however, prompting pushback from the world-renowned Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In addition, the Radnor School District, which is located about 25 minutes from Center City Philadelphia, will be reverting back to remote learning this Monday.
DeSantis criticized the city’s decision during a press conference this past Thursday.
DESANTIS: “If I had a dollar for every lockdown politician that escaped their own policies to come to our free state, I would be set for life.”
pic.twitter.com/xq5mjasWmd— X Strategies LLC (@XStrategiesLLC) April 12, 2022
“You just saw Philadelphia impose an indoor mandate. You’re gonna have potentially some of these other deep blue jurisdictions go back to restrictions and mandates,” DeSantis said.
The governor went on to mention the Chinese government’s brutal enforcement of a total lockdown in Shanghai, the world’s third largest city. Shanghai residents have been locked in their apartments with little to no access to food while quarantine violators are detained without any knowledge of where they will be going.
“As long as I sit in the chair in which I sit, no Floridian will be restricted, mandated or locked down in any possible way,” DeSantis continued.
He also criticized pro-mandate politicians who frequently vacation in Florida. “The first chance they get to get out from under the yolk of those bad policies, you see them in Miami, or Palm Beach,” the governor went on. “If they thought their policies really were necessary, and these mitigations really were effective, they would be abiding by it.”
DeSantis dismissed efforts from Philadelphia and other blue municipalities as “COVID theater” and vowed that Florida would never follow their lead, referring to his state as “the free state of Florida.”