The governors of the worst-affected states are killing their people to impress Trump. They crowed about their bravery but are now sheepishly reversing course (not, of course, without hand-wavy excuses). And every time the governors in Florida and Texas continued with their schedule to reopen, their states were hitting record cases.
Gov. DeSantis of Florida:
- 4 May 2020 – Reopens stores and restaurants, stating: “I think there has been a lot that’s been done to promote fear, to drive hysteria. I think people should know that the worst-case scenario thinking has not proven to be true.” Stores, Restaurants to Reopen Across Most of Florida (U.S. News & World Report, 29 Apr 2020)
- 3 Jun 2020 – Reopens bars, movie theaters, and event spaces. Gov. Ron DeSantis says most of Florida will enter phase 2 of reopening Friday (ClickOrlando.com, 3 Jun 2020)
- 17 Jun 2020 – Doubles down on plans to reopen further after a major surge (note the two week time period since the previous reopen). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledges to keep state open, downplays rise in coronavirus cases (USA Today, 17 Jun 2020)
- 26 Jun 2020 – Closes bars. Florida suspends drinking at bars (Tampa Bay Times, 26 Jun 2020)
Gov. Abbott of Texas:
- 22 May 2020 – Reopens bars. Increases restaurant capacity from 25% to 50%. Child care centers, bars and sporting events scheduled for Texas’ next phase of reopening (The Texas Tribune, 18 May 2020)
- 3 Jun 2020 – Opens businesses to 50% capacity. Increases restaurant capacity from 50% to 75% and table size from 6 to 10. Almost all Texas businesses are allowed to open at 50% capacity, Gov. Greg Abbott says (The Texas Tribune, 3 Jun 2020)
- 16 Jun 2020 – Denies the reality of the surge in his state, and restricts cities from making masks required. Texas Governor Says ‘No Reason Today To Be Alarmed’ As Coronavirus Cases Set Record (NPR, 16 Jun 2020)
- 23 Jun 2020 – Urges people to stay at home. Drops allowable outdoor gathering size from 500 to 100. Gov. Greg Abbott recommends Texans stay home as coronavirus cases surge (The Texas Tribune, 26 Jun 2020)
- 26 Jun 2020 – Closes bars again and limits restaurant capacity. Gov. Greg Abbott orders Texas bars to close again and restaurants to reduce to 50% occupancy as coronavirus spreads (The Texas Tribune, 26 Jun 2020)
Both also made suspicious (charitably) efforts to suppress Coronavirus numbers coming out of their states.
RNC convention is to take place in Jacksonville, FL the week of 24 Aug. Indoors, no attendance restrictions, and no mask requirements.
Everything looks bad.
Updated 1 Jun 2020
Graphs from @COVID19tracking, 1 Jul 2020, 7:35 PM:
Georgia’s positives are increasing quickly. This matches my anecdotal walk through the neighborhood and the number of unmasked walkers and unmasked, dense patios.
