Judge bans Gov. DeSantis’ mask mandate
A Tallahassee judge recently blocked Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order on masks. As reported by CBS 12 News, the judge ruled that school districts should be able to implement mask mandates in public schools.
Florida parents have also sued the governor, the Department of Education and the education commissioner in an attempt to allow schools to implement Covid-19 prevention measures.
However, Gov. DeSantis’ attorneys state that masks do not work in slowing the spread of the virus.
Circuit Judge John C. Cooper states that the Delta variant presents a higher risk of infection in children than the original virus had.
“This fact places at issue all medical studies and anecdotal evidence that says ‘We had no problems last year [in schools], so we’ll have no problems this year.’ It’s different. We had a less infectious form of the virus last year. As the facts change on the ground…the need for various measures will also change,” says Cooper.
Cooper also stated that the CDC’s mask recommendation revealed the overwhelming understanding between doctors. The judge also stated that the governor’s opposition represents a small minority of medical opinions.
The judge found that the Parents Bill of Rights doesn’t ban face mask mandates. Judge Cooper also pointed out that Gov. DeSantis led the state into a state of emergency in June but did not object when an emergency order was passed for a mask mandate.
The governor’s office released the following statement:
“It’s not surprising that Judge Cooper would rule against parent’s rights and their ability to make the best educational and medical decisions for their family, but instead rule in favor of elected politicians. This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts – frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented. We are used to the Leon County Circuit Court not following the law and getting reversed on appeal, which is exactly what happened last year in the school reopening case. We will continue to defend the law and parent’s rights in Florida, and will immediately appeal the ruling to the First District Court of Appeals, where we are confident we will prevail on the merits of the case.”
This story is ongoing and will continue to be updated.
