Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has insisted that schools will remain open for in-person learning across the state, regardless of the number of students or teachers who test positive for COVID-19 after winter break.
Speaking at a press conference in Jacksonville Tuesday, DeSantis discussed his plan to prioritize at-home testing for the elderly and others with risk factors for illness. His approach comes at a time when the Biden administration is working to roll out free at-home tests for all Americans.
The governor highlighted how Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo adjusted policy at the beginning of the school year in September to prevent having healthy children who test positive or had exposure to COVID-19 stay away from school for weeks. Instead, only symptomatic kids are sent home.
“Our schools will be open in the state of Florida. If you look at the data that’s been amassed throughout the pandemic, it’s found that you have worse outcomes by closing schools,” DeSantis said Monday. “And so it’d be so damaging. Kids need to be in school.”
