Florida State Rep. Daniel Perez stated recently that personal responsibility and choice, not oppressive mandates, are going to continue as the priorities for the state during the new surge in COVID cases coming about due to the delta variant spreading around the country.
“We are seeing a recent uptick in cases, but what’s being discussed in Florida right now more than anything is the local mask mandates that have happened in Broward (County),” the Florida Republican went on to say during his interview on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America.” “We are adamantly opposed against any mandates for children in schools while they are trying to learn.”
via Newsmax:
Members of the Broward County Board of Education Wednesday voted unanimously to require masks in schools in a decision coming the day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its recommendations and said that all people, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission, reports The Miami Herald.
“The mask is the only thing you really have to minimize your chance of getting COVID,” Broward School Board Chair Rosalind Osgood went on to tell reporters in Fort Lauderdale.
Perez said that “across the board,” Florida officials have been “open and clear” that personal responsibility and parental choice are a priority, and “we will continue down that path moving forward.”
Further, he said that even with the growth of reported cases, death numbers in the state remain “incredibly low.”
Perez added that according to a recent study on Florida children who wore masks in school and those who did not, the results showed that there was no difference in the numbers of children who became ill.
“What we’re doing is the same way we allow parents to make the choice for their children,” Perez stated. “We also have to respect the choice of those parents who do not want their children to wear masks.”
Apparently, there are local governments in Florida that want to mandate mask wearing for kids as young as 2 years old, but Perez said, “we’re not going to stand by that.”
“I do support the governor’s position,” said Perez speaking of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is opposed to both mask and vaccine mandates.
“All options are on the team, and everything is being considered to make sure that we trust parents,” the state congressman said. “Then, we allow parents to make the decision on what is best for their children.”
“I don’t want to speak on behalf of the governor, but I can tell you that all options are being considered by the House, by the senate, and by the governor’s office,” Perez added. “So we will cross our bridges as we kind of see these local governments make their decision. But one thing is clear. It’s one thing I want to take from this interview, if you take nothing else, is we will always stand by the parents’ ability to make the choice for their children and what they see him as best and if they believe it is in the best interest of their child’s wear masks, and they can have their child wear masks. We’re not telling them not to.”
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