Miami Beach mayor opposes DeSantis’ stance against face mask warrants

MIAMI BEACH, Florida – Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber calls on Gov. Ron DeSantis to support return of face mask warrants as U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns coronavirus evolves to more contagious Delta variant makes more and more people sick.

The CDC wants officials to “recognize that the war has changed,” because the variant appears to cause more serious illness and it spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document, according to the Washington Post.

Dr Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert at Florida International University, said new CDC data shows that an average infected person transmits the variant to six to eight other people. Research shows that vaccinated people who were infected carried roughly the same amount of the virus as those who were not vaccinated.

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“If you overwhelm the protection that you develop from the vaccine, you are going to be infected, you are most likely going to have symptoms and you are going to be contagious to others,” Marty said.

Marty said the use of face masks and vaccines are two of the many preventative measures people need to take. She said data shows vaccinees are still much more protected against serious illness and less likely to catch it.

“Since no public health measure is 100%; you have to layer your protections, ”Marty said.

Coronavirus infections have increased 50% this week in Florida with 110,000 new cases of the coronavirus compared to 73,000 last week. COVID hospitalizations are also on the rise, and the death toll topped 39,000 with 409 more this week.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties have imposed face masks on government buildings. Retailers are making changes. Walmart and Publix have announced that they are requiring all employees, regardless of their immunization status, to wear face masks, and staff will encourage customers to wear face masks as well.

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The CDC recommended “universal interior masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of immunization status.” In response, Broward County Public Schools made the use of face masks mandatory from the first day of school on August 18.

“There is no way in good conscience that I can bring someone back to a school environment on the bus, the cafeteria, and not have a mask mandate,” said Rosalind Osgood, president of the county school board. by Broward. “It’s a moral decision.”

Miami-Dade County Public School students return to class on August 23. DeSantis has said he wants to ban face mask warrants in Florida public schools.

“I have (three) young children. My wife and I are not going to mask the kids. We have never ; we won’t. I want to see my children smile. I want them to have fun, ”DeSantis said.

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Gelber asked DeSantis to consider science. In his letter, he added a graphic highlighting how hospitalizations fell when Miami-Dade County implemented a mask warrant – and how they rose again when DeSantis banned the measures.

“I just think the governor needs to understand that we are in the midst of an unprecedented wave in the country,” Gelber said. “There is no state that is doing worse than us right now. “

Gelber’s letter to DeSantis