Florida is one of — if not the — epicenters of politically motivated coronavirus acquiescence in the nation. Under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state has proudly marketed its anti-vaccination, anti-masking priorities, even as infection rates skyrocket to heights unseen since the earliest days of the pandemic. DeSantis has stubbornly refused to institute the minimal policies scientifically shown to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including its latest, most aggressive Delta variant, conspicuously barring communities from instituting their own local mask mandates, and refusing to consider statewide lockdowns that could help slow the infection rates.
On Friday, Florida's open arm welcome for the surging pandemic opened a bit wider, with a new emergency ruling from the state Department of Education that will allow children to transfer out of pubic schools to private institutions if their family opposes the district's COVID-19 policies, including mask mandates. The newly approved policy — a DeSantis priority — will allow students to apply for the state's Hope Scholarship vouchers to cover private school costs if they believe their current "school district’s COVID-19 health protocols, including masking, pose a health or educational danger to their child."
