CDC director reprimands DeSantis for scolding high school students over masks: 'It's absolutely their choice'
The director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday rebuked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently scolded a group of high school students who were wearing masks to protect against COVID-19, saying it was "absolutely their choice" to do so. ,
"Those students should have been comfortable wearing masks," Dr. Rochelle Valensky said on MSNBC. "It's absolutely their choice."
His remarks came a day after the Republican governor told a group of students who stood behind the podium where he was set to speak at the University of South Florida: "You don't have to wear those masks, I mean Please take them off."
"Honestly, it's doing nothing, we have to stop with this Covid theater. So, if you want to wear it, fine. But it's ridiculous," DeSantis said on Wednesday. Some students took off their masks, while some left them on.
Hillsborough County School District told CNN that the students involved in the program were from Middleton High School. According to the CDC, the community spread of COVID-19 is high in Hillsborough County and it is recommended to wear a mask indoors.
The comments underscored DeSantis' fierce opposition to pandemic mitigation measures such as masks, vaccine mandates and managed shutdowns. Florida's governor has garnered more attention than any Republican leader in the country for flouting the advice of the scientific community and keeping Florida open, earning him a spot on a list of future GOP presidential contenders.
Last summer, DeSantis signed an executive order prohibiting schools from requiring students to wear masks, and last month, he said he supported the ability of parents to sue schools that didn't wear masks. The mandate was banned.
And despite his Wednesday comments, DeSantis continued to rail against COVID-19 mitigation measures at a news conference in Panama City on Thursday.
“What we have seen, especially in the last two years, has been a very politicized medical establishment and they have some views. Many a times they are informed by political ideology, unfortunately,” the governor claimed. The governor claimed.
According to Johns Hopkins University, Florida has passed 70,000 deaths from Kovid-19 after hospitalizations among Omicron editions.
Although the CDC recently updated its masking guidance, masking is still considered an "important public health tool," according to the agency's website.
According to the agency's updated mask guidance, more than 70% of the US population was in a location with a low or moderate COVID-19 community level. For those areas, there is no recommendation for indoor masking unless you are at potential "increased risk" for COVID-19 and, if so, the CDC should talk to your health care provider about wearing a mask. recommends.
At all levels, the CDC advises people to get vaccinated and promoted, and get tested if they have symptoms.