President Biden argues over COVID rules in Florida, Texas

Video - White House's Jen Psaki calls allegations against Cuomo 'abhorrent'"/>

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden has expressed frustration with Republican governors blocking local businesses and schools from implementing coronavirus mask and vaccine mandates as the highly contagious delta variant continues to overwhelm states across the country.

Biden singled out Florida and Texas, two GOP-led hotspots that have pushed back restrictions on coronaviruses in recent days, which he said accounted for a third of all new COVID-19 cases across the country. country.

“Some governors are unwilling to do the right things to make this happen,” Biden told reporters after commenting on his administration’s COVID-19 response. “I say to these governors, please help. If you’re not going to help, at least stay away from people who are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives. “

The criticism comes as states across the country experience a new wave of infections caused by the delta variant of the coronavirus. The number of Floridians hospitalized reached 11,515 patients in one day on Tuesday, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have both issued executive orders banning mask warrants despite updated guidance from the Centers for Disease and Prevention calling on Americans – regardless of their immunization status – who live in areas with high COVID-19 transmission to wear masks indoors and in public places.

The president cited Abbott’s order that bans schools, governments and other jurisdictions from implementing mask warrants as “the most extreme.”

DeSantis issued an executive order blocking mask mandates in state schools last month, threatening to withhold funding for communities that have implemented such measures. The second largest county in the state, Broward County, which encompasses much of Fort. Lauderdale, canceled his exam for a school mask warrant on the news.

Earlier on Tuesday, DeSantis slammed the media for creating “hysteria” and downplaying the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in Florida.

“In the end, would I prefer to have 5,000 cases in 20-year-olds or 500 cases in seniors? I would prefer the younger ones, ”he told reporters.

When asked if Abbott and DeSantis personally make decisions that harm their own citizens, Biden said it was clear to him and most medical experts that their decisions were a “bad health policy.”

Earlier on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki echoed the president’s comments and said local leaders need to decide whether they will follow public health guidelines to save lives or let themselves be guide by policy.

“The guidelines are pretty clear when it comes to the benefits of vaccination, when it comes to the benefits of masking for communities that are not vaccinated,” she said. “If you’re not part of the solution, if you’re not part of people’s lives, then step aside and let other people do the work. “

In March, DeSantis vowed he would not reimpose new pandemic restrictions even if the Biden administration relied on him to do so. “I’m not going to let him lock up Florida,” he promised, even if the pandemic were to worsen in the state.

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