Gov Ron De Santis reversed course after taking heat for keeping the beaches open in Florida during Spring Break, without enforcing CDC “Social distancing” recommendations.
“The message I think for spring breakers is that the party’s over in Florida,” DeSantis said during an interview Thursday on “Fox & Friends.” “You’re not going to be able to congregate on any beach in the state. Many of the hot spots that people like to go to, whether it’s Miami beach, Fort Lauderdale, Clearwater Beach, are closed entirely for the time being.”, The NY Post reported
He said “every single beach” in the Sunshine State will have to abide by the CDC guidelines against gatherings of more than 10 people and said law enforcement officials would enforce the rules, according to the Post
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis initially refused to issue an order to close the state’s beaches, despite fears regarding the spread of the corona-virus.
The governor had been saying that local governments can make their own decisions but that his order would follow the latest guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NBC reported.
Spring Break has continued, as the beaches were crowded as of yesterday
Clearwater Beach, Florida is PACKED today despite “social distancing” recommendations. https://t.co/WzGydcP1Ja pic.twitter.com/vsRD4QLbhr
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 16, 2020
Several cities in Florida have started to close down beach access in an effort to slow down the spread of coronavirus, which has infected at least 328 Florida residents and visitors.
The Clearwater City Council voted to close down Clearwater Beach for two weeks, starting March 23 at 6 a.m. The shutdown does not include restaurants or businesses along the beach, according to a tweet by the council. CBS reported.
In response to the packed beaches and typical Spring Break parties even during crisis, Arnold Schwarzenegger took to twitter to tell people to stay home.
Stay. At. Home. That means you, too, spring breakers. pic.twitter.com/jUOgjLaOGN
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 18, 2020
