Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) took aim at “foreigners” on a COVID-19-infected cruise ship that is set to land in Fort Lauderdale, during a Monday morning interview on “Fox and Friends.”
When asked about the infected cruise ship that cut through the Panama Canal and is supposed to dock in Fort Lauderdale, DeSantis immediately pointed out that he thinks “a lot” of these infected people are “foreigners.”
DeSantis went on to tout how the state has made efforts to clear hospital space, saying that almost 33% of hospital beds are available in Florida right now and that field hospitals have been set up in south Florida in case of a surge.
DeSantis then argued that the state can’t afford to have non-Floridians “dumped into south Florida using up those valuable resources.”
“So I am in contact with the White House on this. I’m in contact with the local county officials in both Broward and Miami-Dade,” DeSantis said. “But yes, we view this as a big, big problem. We do not want to see people dumped in southern Florida right now.”
DeSantis, who has vehemently refused to close down the state’s beaches, ordered anyone arriving from New York City-area airports to enter a 14-day quarantine last week.
Hours after his interview on “Fox and Friends,” DeSantis announced that he would sign an executive order urging those in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe Counties to stay home through mid-May.
Watch DeSantis’ remarks below:
DeSantis on infected cruise ship set to dock in Ft. Lauderdale: "And not only that, I mean, I think a lot of these are foreigners." pic.twitter.com/zdnKPqWTys
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) March 30, 2020
