Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says anyone looking for COVID-19 “crazy” should observe New York and its vaccinated people wearing “six masks.”
The Republican’s hyperbolic jab came Wednesday as he appeared in Baker County to celebrate its embrace of face-to-face schooling while much of the nation opted for remote learning.
“I think they sent, like, one of the corporate media outlets sent some reporter down,” Mr. DeSantis said of the start of the school year. “They were trying to make fun of Baker. ’Oh, these yokels are having kids going to school. How crazy are these people, right?’ The crazy ones are the people who are vaccinated still wearing six masks in New York City to be honest with you.”
Schools in Florida are open, and we’re saying thank you to our hard-working teachers in the classroom by giving them $1,000 bonuses and raises. #180Days #OpenSchools
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 26, 2021
Watch live: https://t.co/fXlYaNB77a
The governor said the key to having 94% of kids with face-to-face instruction was giving parents the option to do what they felt was best.
“You have enclaves in our country where parents do not have the right or the ability to send their kids to school in person,’ Mr. DeSantis added. “This is the last day of school in Baker County, 180 days face-to-face. They’ve done it. They did a normal, basically, a normal school year and it was successful. You got places throughout this country where they still have the door shut on families, and these are mostly lower-middle-income families.”
He then turned his attention to hypocritical politicians and officials who deny choice to parents while surreptitiously enjoying the Sunshine State.
“The wealthy people who close schools send their kids to face-to-face, usually in private schools,” the governor added. “You see it all the time. Just like some of these politicians that lock down their states or their cities — they all end up in Florida enjoying us!”
An exclamation point for the news conference was added on Twitter.
“Schools in Florida are open,” the Republican wrote. “We’re saying thank you to our hard-working teachers in the classroom by giving them $1,000 bonuses and raises. #180Days #OpenSchools.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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