Hey parents: when it comes to making upcoming summer plans for your kids, Gov. Ron DeSantis trusts your better judgment.
Earlier today at a news conference in Jacksonville he announced all youth activities like summer camps and athletics would be allowed to reopen in the state of Florida, saying there is medical data that children have a lower risk of contracting and acting as a vector for COVID-19.
“We believe that this makes sense based on the data and observed experience,” DeSantis said. “At the end of the day we trust parents to be able to make decisions in conjunction with physicians, community leaders and coaches to be able to do these activities in a way that are safe, but I think our kids have been out of organized activities for a couple of months now and I think that we need to have a pathway to get it back.”
Locally in Osceola County, organizations running summer camps that begin in June tout extra safety measures like constant cleaning, keeping children in small groups during activities and that all adults supervising those activities would be and should be wearing face coverings. Children who are not feeling well need to stay home.
Dr. Bonnie White, a pediatrician with Ascension Medical Group, also spoke at the news conference with DeSantis.
“It’s time for children to begin socializing again. They have been home for three months now with no social interaction,” she said. “They need to see their friends. They need to be outside running around and be active.”
Of concern is another disease called “multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children” (MISC). It’s syndrome that attacks children and is associated with COVID-19, and at least two cases of it have surfaced in Florida.
