Turns a blind eye...

DeSantis downplays rising Covid-19 numbers

By GARY FINEOUT

Branding — For months and months, Gov. Ron DeSantis touted his brand of Florida exceptionalism when it comes to how the state responded to Covid-19. Now a surge in cases — primarily among those who remain unvaccinated — is creating an inconvenient interruption to that narrative.

Spike — Cases in the state more than doubled in the past week and now hospitals around the state are seeing a jump in admissions, forcing some of them to impose restrictions on visitations.

Summertime blues — When asked about it on Monday, DeSantis brushed it aside and said he had previously cautioned that this could happen. “It’s a seasonal virus and this is the seasonal pattern it follows in the Sun Belt states,” he told reporters during a Central Florida press conference. DeSantis also predicted that the Covid case numbers would likely fall in August.

Yes, but — The governor could be entirely correct. There have been many times where his instincts about how to respond to Covid-19 worked out. But DeSantis also has a habit of not acknowledging problems directly. He changed his vaccination rollout strategy after a bumpy start. DeSantis also admitted that the 2020 summer surge was troubling… but after it had passed.

Lather, rinse, repeat — Democrats have also responded with their tried and true formula by blasting the governor, citing his barrage of rhetoric against federal health officials and the ramping down of a campaign that urged people to get vaccinated. DeSantis did on Monday praise the vaccine, saying it helped prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying. But then he scolded federal health officials — "quote unquote experts" — for not understanding why some people may be skeptical of vaccines. (It’s because they were wrong on so many other things. Get it?)

Responsibility time — Regardless of the never-ending politicization of Covid-19, DeSantis has more at stake now with what happens over the next few weeks. No, it’s not just about his national aspirations. The plain fact is that Florida legislators changed state law this past session. The responsibility for responding to a public health emergency is now more in the hands of Florida’s governor than it was prior to the start of the pandemic. One big change is that he can veto actions by local governments if they try to impose their own Covid-19 restrictions. So it all flows from the top from here on out.

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to be in Aspen, Colo., again today for a meeting of the Republican Governors Association.