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A Florida commissioner who voted against the mandatory use of face masks to lessen the risk of the coronavirus spreading, is now in critical condition after contracting the disease.
Paul Waldron, a commissioner from St. Johns County, North Florida, tested positive for the coronavirus, and his daughter reported to local media that the official is in “the most critical of conditions.”
Last week, Waldron voted against an order imposing the mandatory use of face masks in St. Johns, just to prevent infection.
The county, south of Jacksonville, on the northeast coast of Florida, reported a total of 1,788 cases of coronavirus and 12 deaths on Saturday.
Duval County, where the city of Jacksonville is located, went from 794 coronavirus cases and 14 deaths, to 12 287 infections and 76 deaths, according to the report of the Department of Health this Saturday.
To date, Florida has accumulated a total of 254,511 coronavirus cases and 4,301 people who have died from COVID-19 since the onset of the state health crisis.
As a result of the rapid expansion and increase in cases, particularly in Miami-Dade, the county authorities decided to increase the tracking and location of people who test positive for the coronavirus, in order to ensure greater control over the disease.
Miami-Dade is also preparing the voluntary “Community Empowerment Program” through an application that will help residents track virus hotspots to prevent the spread.
“Most importantly, all residents must take responsibility and help stop the spread of the virus by wearing masks in all public spaces, inside and outside, and maintaining social distance of at least 6 feet, as well as washing hands with frequency”, highlighted the mayor of the county, Carlos Giménez.
In general, the authorities insist on the use of facial covers to prevent infections from continuing to increase, while stressing the importance of maintaining social distance.
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