US: mask-wearing debate resurfaces in Florida
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during a debate on wearing masks in schools, August 10, 2021, in Surfside.
AP - Marta Lavandier
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
As schools reopen in some US states, the classroom mask debate is more divisive than ever.
This is particularly the case in Florida where Governor DeSantis threatens to cut funds to schools that would impose the mask in class.
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With our correspondent in New York,
Loubna Anaki
Between Ron DeSantis and the principals of some Florida schools, the standoff continues.
The Republican governor remains determined to ban the imposition of masks in the classroom.
"
It's up to the parents to decide,
" maintains Ron DeSantis.
And after threatening to cut funds to schools that would override his decree, he now threatens to directly block the salaries of principals and school officials.
A pressure which does not pass with many establishments which are worried about the critical health situation in a State which has 13,000 hospitalizations per day.
In addition, Florida has the highest number of children infected with Covid-19 in the United States.
"
You cannot put a price on the life of a child
"
On Tuesday, one of the Tallahassee County school officials responded to the governor's threats: “
You can't put a price on a child's life, certainly not my salary.
"
The situation in Florida is just one example of
the mask-wearing debate
in the country, especially in the Republican states.
On Wednesday, President Biden explained that the White House is considering ways to impose the necessary health measures to combat the spread of the Delta variant in those states.
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