DeSantis Defends Florida Surgeon General’s Refusal To Wear A Mask Around

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his controversial appointee for state surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo,  after he  came under fire for refusing to wear a mask in a meeting with a state lawmaker who has breast cancer, with DeSantis accusing Democrats of “politicizing” the meeting. Ladapo’s leadership as surgeon general is “to me, what you want,” DeSantis said Thursday, adding he doesn’t want someone in the role “who’s just going to genuflect to the narrative of the day or just listen to these TV doctors” who push Covid-19 restrictions and mask mandates. Polsky has blasted Ladapo’s “absurd” defense of his decision not to wear a mask, in which he claimed doing so would keep him from “communicating clearly,” and said she heard the surgeon general say after their exchange he was “having fun” riling her up. ​​”Physicians, nurses and support staff wear masks during surgery and other procedures where communicating clearly is literally a matter of life and death,” Polsky said in a statement Tuesday. “His outlandish notion that one cannot communicate with a mask on all but renders his qualifications as our state’s surgeon general an absurdity.”Ladapo and Polsky’s October 20 meeting in her office has become a significant matter of controversy in the state, and Democrats and some doctors have called for Ladapo’s resignation or for the state Senate to deny his confirmation. While DeSantis backed Ladapo’s actions, some other Florida Republicans have not, with Senate President Wilton Simpson calling the surgeon general’s actions “disappointing” and “unprofessional.” The mask incident has fueled existing controversy over Ladapo’s recent appointment as surgeon general, given the Harvard-educated doctor’s history of dismissing Covid concerns and mitigation measures. The surgeon general had previously garnered criticism for such comments as dismissing societal concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic as “Covid mania” in an April op-ed and saying there’s “nothing special” about vaccines “compared to any other preventative measure.” DeSantis has long opposed Covid-19 restrictions, including mask-wearing, and has taken such actions as governor as banning local governments and schools from requiring masks. Florida Surgeon General Says He Can’t ‘Communicate’ While Wearing A Mask (Forbes)Florida Drops Quarantine Requirement For Students Exposed To Covid-19 (Forbes)Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

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