Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that the state may soon reopen its schools, noting that the coronavirus poses a minuscule risk to children.
“We’re going to look at the evidence and make a decision,” DeSantis said, according to The Tampa Bay Times. “If it’s safe we want kids to be in school. … Even if it’s for a couple of weeks, we think there would be value in that.”
DeSantis also said that reopening schools may be decided on a county by county basis, depending on the public health risk. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Jan. 21: Fauci Says Coronavirus ‘Not A Major Threat’ To U.S.)
“It may be that not every county is going to be treated the same in all this,” DeSantis said.
President Donald Trump greets Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during a campaign rally at the Hertz Arena on October 31, 2018 in Estero, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The current White House coronavirus restrictions are set to expire at the end of the month, and President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to reopen the country as soon as possible, arguing that the cure can’t be worse than the disease. (RELATED: People Are Starting To Question The Accuracy Of The White House’s Coronavirus Model)
DeSantis issued a stay at home order on April 1, but was criticized for allowing beaches in his state to stay open as spring breakers flocked to Florida. Florida is one of 42 states currently under a stay at home order.