Joe Biden Attacks FL Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Coronavirus Response, Calls for ‘Science-Based Action’

Presidential hopeful Joe Biden (D) criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s statewide response to the coronavirus pandemic, declaring in a statement that “Floridians deserve science-based action.”

DeSantis has practiced a cautious approach over the past month, using the CDC’s guidelines as groundwork for the Sunshine State’s floor positions and leaving more aggressive measures, like the mandatory closure of non-essential businesses, up to local governments.

Biden released a statement, criticizing DeSantis’s response — seemingly his refusal to issue a statewide stay-at-home order — while praising New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

“In the absence of leadership from President Trump and his Administration, governors like Andrew Cuomo of New York and Mike DeWine of Ohio are stepping up during this time of crisis to fill the void and protect our most vulnerable,” Biden said in a statement.

“Floridians deserve science-based action from Governor Ron DeSantis,” he continued.

He added:

This deadly pandemic does not discriminate along party lines, zip codes, gender, race and certainly not state, county, or city lines. While other states continue to take strong, urgent, and sweeping action to stop the spread of COVID-19, Florida has not. I urge Governor DeSantis to let the experts speak to the public and explain why this is the case. In this moment of growing uncertainty and anxiety, Floridians want — and deserve — to hear from the public health officials leading the charge. To get through this, we need our leaders to listen to the public health experts and their guidance. The stakes are too high to wait any longer.

Despite Biden’s assertion, DeSantis has taken a number of aggressive actions. He signed an executive order this week requiring those traveling to Florida from the New York Tri-State area — one of the country’s coronavirus hotspots — to self-quarantine for 14 days and warned that it is “actually a criminal offense if you violate the quarantine order.”

Per the order:

Any person who violates any isolation or quarantine directed by the Department of Health commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, which is punishable by imprisonment not to exceed 60 days, a fine not to exceed $500, or both. See § 381.00315(6), Fla. Stat.

Last week, DeSantis announced a 30-day closure of nightclubs and bars. He has since ordered a statewide halt of dine-in services, as well as the suspension of elective medical procedures.

Nevertheless, the Florida governor has refrained from issuing a sweeping stay-at-home order, publicly questioning its viability.

“It’s not clear to me that doing a massive shut down of an entire state would even work,” DeSantis said. “In New York City, it’s like the party never ended. You got people congregating all over the place.”

“You see images from California in Orange County … the beaches may have never been so crowded. These are people who have been ordered to shelter in place and they are not complying with those orders,” he added.