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Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Initiative to make Protections from COVID Mandates Permanent, Enact New Protections for Free Speech for Medical Practitioners

Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a common-sense legislative proposal to make permanent COVID-19 freedoms in Florida. This strong pro-freedom, anti-mandate action will permanently protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, protect parents’ rights, and institute additional protections that prevent discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccine status. To read the full proposal, click here.

“When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “These measures will ensure Florida remains this way and will provide landmark protections for free speech for medical practitioners.”

“As a health sciences researcher and physician, I have personally witnessed accomplished scientists receive threats due to their unorthodox positions,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “However, many of these positions have proven to be correct, as we’ve all seen over the past few years. All medical professionals should be encouraged to engage in scientific discourse without fearing for their livelihoods or their careers.”

In 2021, Governor DeSantis signed legislation to protect Florida jobs and parents’ rights to make health care decisions for their students, banning private employer vaccine mandates and mask mandates across the state. Governor DeSantis continues to safeguard Floridians’ freedoms and ensure no one is discriminated against based on their COVID-19 vaccine status or is subject to a two-tiered test and mask discrimination policy from employers.

The proposal includes the permanent prohibition of mandates that are continuously proven ineffective, including: 

  • Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine passports in Florida; 
  • Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements in all Florida schools;
  • Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 masking requirements at businesses; and
  • Permanently prohibiting employers from hiring or firing based on mRNA jabs.

Included in Governor DeSantis’ proposal are first amendment rights guarantees for medical professionals, ensuring no one loses their job or medical license for voicing their professional opinions in Florida. The legislation will safeguard medical professionals from discrimination based on their personal religious views.

Governor DeSantis remains committed to ensuring COVID freedoms are upheld in Florida and will fight against local governments, businesses, and corporations that attempt to impose authoritarian policies surrounding COVID.

  • Pretty sad coming from a State that had one of the highest COVID death rates and total deaths in the country. God Help Florida from a Civil war apologists who likes to hang out with underage girls at the private school while as a teacher. Great morals and ethics to follow for DeSantis.

  • Are you people out of your minds? Publishing a nonsense press release verbatim that is filled with propaganda and fiction without the slightest suggestion that you have reporters or a staff capable of independent thought?

    If I as a business owner don’t want to risk having employees or myself infected because of COVID denying, mask refusing individuals, I’m now denied the freedom to keep out people I don’t want in my place, because DeSantis doesn’t care about my health or freedom or that of my employees.

    Ladapo is permitted to spout nonsense about people’s non-scientific alternative cures being “proven correct” when they have in fact been proven false.

    DeSantis boasts of keeping Florida open – but at what cost? The highest death rate from COVID in the nation…right here, because he wanted to pose for the right wing loons who select Republican presidential nominees.

    The Chronicle should know better and should do better.

    • You don’t ruin the dollar & the US economy for something that has a 99.98% survival rate…save your global new world order fascist crap for your control freak fascist commie comrades…I’d rather be free then live inside the safety of your gilded cage.

    • Actual doctor: you can wear a face mask all you want… I know Lapados’ credentials…Why don’t you write a nice editorial to the AC
      With your real name and credentials so we know you’re not
      Some loonie crackpot spreading disinformation.

  • Why is it okay to say these doctors are right yet also say doctors arguing for gender affirming care, which has backing of major medical associations, are wrong?

  • I appreciate Governor DeSantis in making these protections permanent.

    To the trolls who commented, everyone got exposed to COVID anyway, many before we ever heard of it . The mandates just caused unneeded harm.

    It’s better to stay physically active than gain weight and get scared.

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