Ron DeSantis under pressure as Florida breaks record for COVID cases

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Axios on facebookAxios on twitterAxios on linkedinAxios on emailGov. Ron DeSantis speaks after the signing of a bill on November 18, 2021. Photo: AP Photo / Chris O’Meara, File

As coronavirus cases increase in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis’s absence in public and in the press has been a source of national debate.

What’s happening: While Florida broke its single-day COVID-19 record with 75,900 cases on New Years Eve, DeSantis had made a public appearance in the previous two weeks – a Fox spot News, according to Florida Politics.

As rumors circulated about DeSantis’ fate, his office told Fox that the governor was accompanying his wife, Casey, to cancer treatment. DeSantis finally made an appearance at a New Years celebration at a Christian concert in Miami, without addressing the COVID peak but telling the crowd, “I’m glad we can celebrate the New Year in the state on freer from the United States. “

Why this is important: His media presence is not the concern. It’s his lack of responses to critics like Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, both of whom are calling on DeSantis to make testing more accessible and push for more recalls. in nursing homes.

The Associated Press reported that three people collapsed while queuing at a testing site in Tampa on Friday morning.

Between the lines: Even during past COVID peaks, DeSantis has generally been quick with retorting critics. Now that the holidays are over and cases are on the rise, critics will be watching his response to officials calling for more testing and shooting.

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