Florida Sees Fewer Coronavirus Cases Per Capita in Last 7 Days than Blue New York

Florida, which has received a steady stream of criticism from Democrats and the establishment media for rolling back coronavirus-related restrictions, allowing businesses to open and operate, has fewer new cases of the Chinese coronavirus per capita in the last seven days than New York, a blue state that has continued to embrace some of the most stringent restrictions in the country.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who described the state as an “oasis of freedom” during an appearance at CPAC in Orlando, Florida, last week, promised during Tuesday’s State of the State that he will continue to ensure that the state remains open for business, even as leftists pressure the Sunshine State to put restrictions in place.

“Friends, legislators, Floridians, lend me your ears: We will not let anybody close your schools, we will not let anybody take your jobs and we will not let anybody close your businesses!” DeSantis declared during the address.

Texas is among the latest states to completely reopen. On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that he is rolling back the restrictions on businesses as well as the statewide mask mandate, drawing ire from leftists such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

“This endangers the entire country and beyond,” she said upon his announcement.

However, leftist critiques may be misguided —  particularly in the critiques of Florida, which has seen fewer new cases of the virus per capita than New York, which Democrats have continued to champion for its response to the virus.

According to March 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, Florida reported 24.7 cases of the virus per 100,000 in the last seven days, or 37,073.

CDC data does not include New York City in the Empire State’s overall data. Nevertheless, Florida fares better than both the state, which excludes the city, as well as the city itself.

New York State, excluding New York City, has reported 31.4 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days, or 24,290. New York City has reported 48.6 cases per 100,000 in the last seven days, or 28,567.

Florida has seen fewer cases per capita in both scenarios and reported over 15k fewer cases in the last seven days than the entirety of New York State, despite rolling back restrictions months ago and never implementing a statewide mask mandate.

“There are not a whole lot of Floridians who are itching to move from Florida to lockdown states, but there are thousands and thousands of people who are seeking to leave the lockdowns behind for the greener pastures in Florida,” DeSantis said during his State of the State address.

“We have long been known as the Sunshine State – but, given the unprecedented lockdowns we have witnessed in other states, I think the Florida sun now serves as a beacon of light to those who yearn for freedom,” he added.