Due to concerns surrounding recent UK COVID mutations in the United States, the Biden administration is considering whether or not to impose domestic travel restrictions on states where the highly contagious variant are surging. These states include Florida.
“There are active conversations about what could help mitigate spread here, but we have to follow the data and what’s going to work. We did this with South Africa, we did this with Brazil, because we got clear guidance,” one White House official was quoted in the Miami Herald. “But we’re having conversations about anything that would help mitigate spread.”
The response of Florida governor Ron Desantis (R), was to have a meltdown.
As per the Orlando Sentinel, the governor “slammed” the possibility, calling it, “a political attack.”
“We will oppose it 100 percent,” DeSantis as quoted as saying. “It would not be based in science. It would purely be a political attack against the people of Florida. And it’s unclear why they would even try talking about that.”
As of Wednesday, Florida had 343 confirmed cases of the highly contagious UK variant as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is the most in the nation (roughly 1/3 of all the known cases in the United States).
The UK variant of COVID spreads between 35% and 45% more easily than other variants (in Florida it’s spreading even faster – 38% to 49%) and is doubling in cases every 10 days. A new study found that the risk of dying from this variant is about 35% higher than from other variants.
Besides suggesting that a potential travel ban to Florida would be politically based, governor DeSantis also somehow decided to compare it to undocumented immigrants entering the country.
““If you think about it, restricting the right of Americans to travel freely throughout our country while allowing illegal aliens to pour across the southern border unmolested, would be a ridiculous, but very damaging farce,” he said.
WHAT?!?!?!
“No decisions have been made, but we certainly are having conversations across government,” the White House official said. The unnamed official also referred to current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that encouraged Americans to stay home and only travel for essential reasons.
“This is a war and we’re at battle with the virus. War is messy and unpredictable, and all options are on the table,” the official said.
Unfortunately, I think governor DeSantis is fighting a different war.
UK variant set aside, Florida currently has the third-highest number of confirmed cases of COVID in the country, and the fourth-highest number of deaths from the virus.
Feature Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
14 comments
Wow…I am a Florida resident and I have been very thankful to have lived there this past year. With reasonable precautions we have lived an almost normal life. I played tennis almost everyday and went to outdoor restaurants all the time.
It has been fascinating to watch the media make Florida the poster child for bad covid management. Yet…Florida has had LOWER than average infections per million people and LOWER than average deaths per million people compared to the USA as a whole.
I am already fully vaccinated thanks to Florida being one of the first states to let people over 65 get the vaccine.
I suspect the UK variant is already in every state in the USA. Are you going to stop all travel between states? There is not full agreement yet that the UK variant is more deadly. If there is good news is that both Moderna and Pfizer say their vaccine is effective against the UK variant.
If they lock down Florida I guess it won’t affect me too much as I am in Bangkok now and halfway through quarantine.
DeSantis seems to be losing the war with sanity. Sheesh. That said, I’m not sure that restricting travel to Florida is either practical or legal.
Endemic. The taboo word.
They have the 3rd highest population in the country, unsurprisingly they have the third highest number of cases. I am not sure what your point is in terms of where their rank is. California has been far more restrictive and their rates are about the same. The problems with all of these stats is that there is no context to them.
Who needs a functioning economy when the government can just print trillions of dollars and give them to people so they can stay locked inside?
DeSantis is not a smart man and I don’t agree with a lot of his actions (in regards to say mask mandates), but I do think he’s right about some of this.
Florida actually ranks 26th in overall covid deaths per capita.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109011/coronavirus-covid19-death-rates-us-by-state/
You might want to add that fact to your blog. They are doing just fine compared to many other places, while managing to keep much of their economy functioning.
DeSantis sounds like he wants illegal aliens to be molested. Why is he such a fan of molesting anyone?
DeSantis is right in the inability of the government to secure the Mexican border so what makes them think they can secure the Florida border any better? That is a starter. Also imagine that travel is restricted to Florida. Who is going to enforce travel by car or on foot? National Guard? Florida? Georgia? Alabama? Will the Army go house to house next? I’m also very sure that the travel industry folks in Florida will be thrilled with all this. Many are are already on the ropes as it is.
I have many other questions around this like why not shut down other states that have the B.1.1.7 variant? California has nearly as many cases of the UK (B.1.1.7) and also has some South African (B.1.351) type. The UK version is in over 35 states already. Are we going to start shutting down individual states all over?
Seems like that WDW, Spring break and family trips to the Florida beach may be canceled kids.
Not going to happen. SCOTUS will slap this down in no-time.
[…] Considering Domestic Travel Restrictions to Florida: See this post on Your Mileage May Vary. I am skeptical that this restriction would actually come to fruition, […]
Certainly wished I lived in Florida instead of MN under Waltz!! All these democratic states shut down, but lock downs didn’t help anyone or the economy.
Not going to happened. Cuomo lashed out against the previous administration stating that restricting travel to states (when he thought it would affect New York State) was unconstitutional and a declaration of war.
These are all old comments. How does Florida look comparatively now?