Florida’s GOP senators go after China on coronavirus, as DeSantis faces scrutiny at home

Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, issued a stay-at-home order covering the southern region of the state on Monday that will last through April 15. Local Democrats and some medical professionals have pushed him to go further, calling for a statewide lockdown, as dozens of states containing more than half the U.S. population have already done.

With more than 21 million residents, according to census estimates, Florida is the third-most-populous state behind California, which is under a statewide “stay at home” order, and Texas, which is not. New York, the fourth-biggest state by population and the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, is under a lockdown order as well. California and New York have Democratic governors. Neither Texas, which has a Republican governor, nor Florida have been as hard-hit by the virus as California and New York.

DeSantis has defended his decision not to close beaches statewide, arguing that the open spaces are not conducive to the spread of the virus. 

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/coronavirus-florida-senators-go-after-china-as-beaches-remain-open.html