Stand back: North Miami apologizes after mayor’s false promise

The offer lasted a few days. After the mayor of North Miami, Anthony F. DeFillipo, pledged to provide free vaccines to international tourists, the city apologized for the official statements, as reported by US media Miami herald.

What happened? At Florida, the state ruled by Republican Ron DeSantis, A rule still applies, stating that coronavirus inoculations should be reserved for permanent or temporary residents of the sunny state.

During the last month of January and in an effort to end vaccine tourism, State President DeSantis decided to sign a public health advisory that prioritizes Florida residents in distribution and enforcement. vaccines against Covid-19.

Mayor DeFillipo’s announcement came in a TV interview with a Colombian show. “We vaccinate anyone who comes with their passport, identity papers and a local address”, Anthony DeFilippo said, noting that they had already administered thousands of doses to these people. In addition, the mayor of NorthMiami called on residents of other countries to come to the city and get vaccinated.

The Honduran Consulate thanked DeFilippo after the announcement. And he expressed in his official Twitter account: “A great gesture of humanity”. In addition, they shared details that Honduran citizens need to be able to get vaccinated in North Miami Beach. “You just need to show your consular registration or valid passport”, they detailed.

This Monday, DeFillipo said Miami herald that his statements have been misinterpreted, and that in fact he was referring to people from other countries “who have a residence and papers”. Last Friday, he made no reference to this requirement during the interview.

“He could have been lost in the translation”, said DeFillipo, who is not a native Spanish speaker. As LA NACION reported a few days ago, with 40% of the statewide population vaccinated with at least one dose, the wide availability of vaccines makes the requirements to obtain it more and more flexible. However, On paper, the public health notice is still in effect since January 21 signed by DeSantis.

As stated in the Florida layout, who do not have a state identifier They can present two proofs of residence, such as a title deed or a rental agreement; a public service at least two months old; a letter from a financial institution or federal government agency; or a letter from a parent, child or legal guardian indicating that the person lives with you. A little over a month ago, a single proof of residence was sufficient. Experience shows that more and more tourists manage to get vaccinated for free without any proof.

THE NATION