Governor Ron DeSantis during COVID-19 speaking with a mask on – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Raoul B Photography
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed permanently outlawing Covid mandates in the state.
DeSantis stated in a press release earlier this week that he has introduced legislation to “make permanent Covid freedoms in Florida”, adding that the “strong pro-freedom, anti-mandate action will permanently protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to Covid vaccine mandates, protects parents’ rights, and institutes additional protections that prevent discrimination based on Covid vaccine status.”
In an effort to shield Floridians from the “biomedical security state,” the proposal calls for permanently banning mask requirements throughout the state, banning vaccine and mask requirements in schools, banning Covid passports in the state, and banning employers from making hiring or firing decisions based on Covid vaccinations.
The plan also makes the claim that it will safeguard “medical freedom of speech” by promising to safeguard the rights of medical practitioners to free speech, the ability to disagree with the “preferred narrative of the medical community,” and the right to have religious beliefs.
“When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s lynchpin,” DeSantis said in the announcement of his proposal. “These measures will ensure Florida remains this way and will provide landmark protections for free speech for medical practitioners.”
Following DeSantis’ repeated objections to Covid requirements, a new suggestion has been made. DeSantis signed a number of laws in 2021 to shield Floridians from what he described “unscientific, needless commands” put forth by municipal governments in the event of a pandemic.
Florida’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, supported DeSantis’s proposal, saying: “As a health sciences researcher and physician, I have personally witnessed accomplished scientists receive threats due to their unorthodox positions.”
“However, many of these positions have proven to be correct, as we’ve all seen over the past few years. All medical professionals should be encouraged to engage in scientific discourse without fearing for their livelihoods or their careers,” he added.
Florida will formally advise avoiding Covid vaccines for healthy children, according to Ladapo’s announcement from the previous year.
“We’re kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel, particularly with healthy kids, in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence the even potential of benefit,” he said.
The announcement went against recommendations made by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DeSantis petitioned the Florida Supreme Court in December to have a grand jury look into whether Covid vaccine producers deceived Floridians about the potential negative effects of the doses.
The grand jury will meet for a year before making a conclusion after the court accepted DeSantis’ petition.
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William is the Managing Editor at FloridaInsider.com. His years of experience in journalism, broadcasting and multimedia include roles as a Writer and Web Producer. He graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science and Communication.