patrick.net

DeSantis has been pilloried for the way he has handled the crisis. He was late in calling for a statewide lockdown. He barred a journalist from a news conference after she requested that he accommodate the need for social distancing. He refused to shut down churches and synagogues. Following Trump’s lead, he touted the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the virus. ...

Duval County, which includes Jacksonville, had decided to reopen its beaches two weeks earlier, and as you no doubt recall, social media was full of photos — and withering criticism — of residents walking on the beach, most without masks or much concern for social distancing. The photos were often accompanied with the hashtag #FloridaMorons. It was clear the criticism infuriated DeSantis.

A lot of people — “from between D.C. and New York” — had made it sound as if opening the beach was akin to the sky falling, he said. He continued:

They did misleading pictures, acting like it was Lollapalooza on the beach or something like that. And this is what they were focused on. Not dirty subway cars. … And people here were mocked. … Has there been some type of major outbreak? No. In fact cases have declined. … Two weeks ago, the county reported 29 new cases. Out of a county of a million people, that is extremely low. That’s like lunchtime in Queens.

And the second thing that struck me about the governor’s remarks? How sensible they sounded. Seriously. Why was Florida opening its parks? Because, he said, even in a pandemic, open spaces were necessary for peace of mind. And because the evidence showed that the risk of contracting the virus was much lower outdoors than indoors. And because maintaining proper social distancing in parks was not terribly difficult.

Why had Florida decided to keep its restrictions on the three counties encompassing Miami and Palm Beach? Because those were the places with the highest density and the largest number of deaths and hospitalizations. ...

And the second thing that struck me about the governor’s remarks? How sensible they sounded. Seriously. Why was Florida opening its parks? Because, he said, even in a pandemic, open spaces were necessary for peace of mind. And because the evidence showed that the risk of contracting the virus was much lower outdoors than indoors. And because maintaining proper social distancing in parks was not terribly difficult.

Why had Florida decided to keep its restrictions on the three counties encompassing Miami and Palm Beach? Because those were the places with the highest density and the largest number of deaths and hospitalizations. ...

The most important number, deaths, is even more surprising. Pennsylvania: 3,700 people have died of Covid-19. Massachusetts: almost 5,000. Illinois: around 3,400. And Florida? Fewer than 1,800. ...

As Florida gradually reopens over the next several weeks, everyone is going to be watching to see whether cases and deaths surge there. To be blunt, the partisans in this polarized country will be hoping to be vindicated by the numbers.