Trump Admin Surgeon General Criticizes DeSantis on School Mask Mandates: ‘We’re Letting Politics Get in the Way of Protecting Our Youth’
Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general in the Trump administration, criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for banning school mask mandates.
Covid-19 cases are continuing to surge in Florida, and DeSantis is facing blowback (and legal challenges) for his executive order barring schools from requiring everyone mask up. He said this was done to “protect parents’ freedom to choose whether their children wear masks.”
On Monday the governor’s office said the state could “move to withhold the salary” of superintendents or school board members who defy that executive order. And on Tuesday, the Broward County School Board voted to keep the district’s mask mandate in place.
On CBS This Morning, Adams had this to say when asked about DeSantis’ warning:
As a physician, as a public health expert, it is deeply troubling that it seems we’re letting politics get in the way of protecting our youth. As a father, I quite frankly think it’s unconscionable. I really do. I think you can’t tie the hands of school and public health officials based on what you perceive to be the reality when your public health officials are telling you they need these tools.
He made another public plea for people to get vaccinated and mask up, advising Americans to keep an eye on the Covid-19 numbers in their area, “so that you can make an informed decision even if the politicians out there are telling you they won’t let it be mandated.”
Adams followed up on Twitter hours later with a thread bringing up a concerned comment from the parent of a child with type 1 diabetes.
“Are parents and officials really okay with the potential trade off of this girls life to alleviate (what is in nit all, but most cases) the mild & temporary discomfort of another student, or to satisfy the righteous indignation of their parents?” he asked.
Adams argued that if kids themselves were presented with the choice between wearing a mask or risking harm to a classmate, they would choose the former.
Are parents and officials really okay with the potential trade off of this girls life to alleviate (what is in nit all, but most cases) the mild & temporary discomfort of another student, or to satisfy the righteous indignation of their parents? ??♂️
— Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) August 10, 2021
Here’s the thing. How about we ask the kids that question, since the adults can’t seem to have an “adult” conversation about it. I’m betting most kids when presented with this scenario- in their own classroom- (wear a mask or risk hurting your classmate) would chose the mask…
— Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) August 10, 2021
You can watch his comments above, via CBS.
