DeSantis defends maskless crowds after Buccaneers win amid COVID-19 concerns

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantis The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented By TikTok – Day 1 Goes To Dems As GOP Smokes In Front Of Trump Lawyers Florida Democrats Muddled In Divide, Debt Before 2022 Florida Data Scientist Drops Lawsuit For armed raid at home, for now MORE (R) attacked the media for what he said was a double standard with how the great social justice marches were covered as opposed to the celebrations in Tampa after the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl victory.

“The media is worried about this, obviously,” DeSantis said Wednesday of massive celebratory scenes in Tampa that showed hundreds of fans without masks as they crowded the streets and bars on Sunday night.

“You don’t care as much as it is about a ‘peaceful protest’ … and then it’s okay,” DeSantis continued. “You don’t care as much if they celebrate a Biden election. You only care if they’re people you don’t like. I’m a Bucs fan. I’m really proud of what they have. Sunday night. “

Local health officials and the mayor of Tampa said they were very concerned after attending the celebrations on Sunday night.

“It’s a little frustrating because we’ve worked so hard,” Mayor Jane Castor (D) said the next day. “At this point in the treatment of COVID-19, there is a certain level of frustration when you see this.”

DeSantis has also found himself at the center of a controversy this week stemming from a photo taken of him during Sunday night’s game which shows him sitting in an indoor executive suite without a mask, sitting within six feet of the person to be. next to him.

DeSantis first addressed the photo controversy earlier in the week.

“Someone said, ‘Hey, you were at the Super Bowl without a mask,'” he said on Monday. “But how the hell am I going to drink a beer with a mask on? Come on. I must have watched the Bucs win.”

DeSantis regularly attacks members of the media for their coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in the state. It also downplayed the effectiveness of mask wear and resisted statewide lockdown measures.

Regarding a new variant of the coronavirus found in several states across the country, including Florida, DeSantis said he was confident the vaccines would work against the mutated strain.

“We have not seen any data or evidence to suggest that these vaccines are not effective,” he said. “So if we get the seniors vaccinated, we’ll be good.”