THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT, AS DR. BIRX SAID FROM THE
BEGINNING, FOR YOUNG AMERICANS
TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
>> AS THE NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS
CASES CONTINUES TO BALLOON
ACROSS THE NATION, MORE
GOVERNORS ARE NOW ISSUING
STATEWIDE STAY AT HOME ORDERS.
AMONG THEM, FLORIDA, GOVERNOR
RON DeSANTIS.
RON DeSANTIS. HIS STATE RANKS FIFTH IN TERMS
OF THE NUMBER OF CONFIRMED CASES
IN THE U.S.
AS THE CASES MOUNTED, AND THE
DEATH TOLL TICKED UP IN FLORIDA,
DeSANTIS RESISTED CALLS FROM
PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS TO ISSUE
THE ORDER.
THE ORDER. IT WASN’T UNTIL THE PHONE CALL
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP YESTERDAY.
ALSO, MORE THAN 3,000 NEW CASES
OVER THE LAST THREE DAYS.
THEN THE GOVERNOR HEEDED THEIR
CALLS.
CALLS. OVER 7,000 CASES AND 100 DEATHS.
WE’RE HOURS FROM THE ORDER
TAKING EFFECT.
TAKING EFFECT. IT IS SET FOR MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
THE GOVERNOR PREVIOUSLY SAID HE
WAS WAITING FOR DIRECTIVES FROM
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH
PROMPTED THIS RESPONSE FROM THE
U.S. SURGEON GENERAL.
>> MY ADVICE TO AMERICA WOULD BE
THAT THESE GUIDELINES ARE A
NATIONAL STAY AT HOME ORDER.
THEY’RE GUIDELINES THAT SAY,
LOOK, THE MORE WE SOCIAL
DISTANCE, THE MORE WE SAY AT
HOME, THE LESS SPREAD OF DISEASE
THERE WILL BE.
>> WAS IT THE SURGEON GENERAL’S
COMMENTS EARLIER TODAY THAT
SHIFTED YOUR THINKING ON A
STATEWIDE STAY AT HOME ORDER?
>> I HAD DECIDED ON THIS, YOU
KNOW, WHEN THE PRESIDENT DID THE
30-DAY EXTENSION.
30-DAY EXTENSION. TO ME, THAT WAS, PEOPLE AREN’T
JUST GOING TO GO BACK TO WORK.
THAT’S A NATIONAL PAUSE BUTTON.
I HAD CONCERNS ABOUT HOW SOME OF
THAT WOULD EFFECT DIFFERENT
COMMUNITIES IN FLORIDA WHO HAVE
NOT BEEN HIT THE SAME WAY.
I DON’T ANTICIPATE GETTING HIT
THE SAME WAY AS PLACES LIKE
MIAMI-DADE
MIAMI-DADE MIAMI-DADE.
MIAMI-DADE. I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THEIR
GUIDELINES WOULD ACTUALLY SAY.
EVEN THE GUIDELINES, THEY NEVER
ACTUALLY SAID TO DO THAT.
THE SURGEON GENERAL, U.S.
SURGEON GENERAL NEVER TOLD ME
THAT’S WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING
FOR.
FOR. YOU KNOW, BUT I THINK THAT GIVEN
THAT WE’RE HAVING A 30-DAY, I
THINK THAT’S A SIGNAL FROM THE
PRESIDENT THAT, LOOK, THIS IS
WHAT WE’RE GOING TO BE FIGHTING
FOR A MONTH.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. THAT DECISION FROM THE FLORIDA
GOVERNOR IS LIKELY WELCOME NEWS
FOR FORMER FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION COMMISSIONER DR.
SCOTT GODLEY, WHO EXPRESSED THAT
THE U.S. CAN AVOID THE DEATH
TOLL PROJECTED BY THE WHITE
HOUSE IF STATES LIKE TEXAS AND
FLORIDA ACT.
FLORIDA ACT. >> I THINK THE WILD CARD HERE,
AND THE DECISION POINT ON
WHETHER OR NOT WE’RE GOING TO
HAVE THE BAD OUTCOME THAT DR.
FAUCI AND DR. BIRX TALKED ABOUT,
IS WHAT POPULOUS STATES LIKE
TEXAS AND FLORIDA DO, THAT
HAVEN’T TAKEN AGGRESSIVE STEPS
EVEN NOW.
EVEN NOW. THEY’RE LARGE STATES.
THEY HAVE LARGE URBAN AREAS THAT
HAVE DENSE POPULATIONS.
IF THEY DON’T GET MORE
AGGRESSIVE, WE COULD BE ON THE
CUSP OF SOME OF THOSE BAD
OUTCOMES.
OUTCOMES. I THINK IF THOSE STATES START TO
ACT AGGRESSIVELY RIGHT NOW, WE
COULD KEEP THIS, HOPEFULLY, WELL
BELOW THOSE KINDS OF MODELS.
>> MISSISSIPPI AND GEORGIA HAVE
ALSO ISSUED STATEWIDE STAY AT
HOME ORDERS.
HOME ORDERS. THE ORDER FROM MISSISSIPPI COMES
MORE THAN A WEEK OF THE GOVERNOR
SUPERSEDED LOCAL EFFORTS IN HIS
STATE TO PROMOTE SOCIAL
DISTANCING.
DISTANCING. ACCORDING TO DATA GATHERED BY
THE COVID PROJECT, MISSISSIPPI
HAS THE HIGHEST HOSPITALIZATION
RATE FROM THE VIRUS IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> LET’S STOP THERE FOR A
SECOND.
SECOND. MISSISSIPPI HAS THE HIGHEST
COVID-19 HOSPITAL RATE IN THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. JONATHAN LEMIRE, LET’S BRING YOU
IN.
IN. ALSO, JIM VANDEHEI WITH US, AS
WELL.
WELL. JONATHAN, THIS IS ACTUALLY A
GOVERNOR WHO IS CONTEMPTUOUS A
WEEK AGO OF THE STAY AT HOME
ORDERS.
ORDERS. HE, IN FACT, UNDERCUT SOME LOCAL
OFFICIALS WHO HAD STAY AT HOME
ORDERS, TRYING TO PROTECT PEOPLE
IN THEIR TOWNS AND THEIR CITIES.
HE WANTED PEOPLE TO PRAY FOR HIM
BUT WAS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE
RECKLESS.
RECKLESS. IT’S LIKE, YOU KNOW, DRINKING ON
A SATURDAY NIGHT, AND THEN
SAYING, HEY, EVERYBODY PRAY FOR
ME TOMORROW MORNING IN CHURCH.
NO, DOESN’T REALLY HELP.
DON’T DRINK ON SATURDAY NIGHT,
AND YOU’LL BE MUCH BETTER, YOU
KNOW, GETTING TO CHURCH ON
SUNDAY MORNING.
SUNDAY MORNING. BUT THIS GUY WAS LIKE, PRAY FOR
US, BUT I’M NOT GOING TO DO
ANYTHING.
ANYTHING. IN FACT, I’M GOING TO IGNORE
HEALTH CARE OFFICIALS AND
EVERYTHING THEY’RE BEGGING ME TO
DO.
DO. I’M NOT GOING TO LET MY LOCAL
MAYORS DO WHAT THEY’RE TRYING TO
DO TO SAVE PEOPLE IN THEIR TOWN.
NOW, LOOK WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
MISSISSIPPI.
MISSISSIPPI. ALL TOO PREDICTABLE.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THE KALSNUMBER OF CASES THERE HA
EXPLODED.
EXPLODED. WE FINALLY SAW YESTERDAY
FLORIDA, GOVERNOR DeSANTIS
ACTED.
ACTED. I KNOW THIS SHOW IN PARTICULAR
HAS BEEN CHAMPIONING FOR THAT
FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
IMAGES THIS WEEKEND OF BEACHES
NEAR JACKSONVILLE WHERE YOU
COULD SEE THE LINE, WHICH
COUNTIES CLOSED THE BEACHES AND
WHICH HAD NOT.
THOSE THAT DIDN’T, THE BEACHES
WERE PACKED WITH PEOPLE.
OBVIOUSLY, A REAL RISK TO
SPREADING THIS VIRUS.
THERE ARE STILL A NUMBER OF
STATES, OF COURSE, THAT DON’T
HAVE THIS.
HAVE THIS. I BELIEVE ALABAMA IS SURROUNDED
BY STATES THAT HAVE STAY AT HOME
ORDERS, BUT IT DOES NOT.
DON’T EXPECT THERE TO BE A
FEDERAL GUIDELINE ON THIS.
THE FEDERAL WAS PRESSED ON THIS
IN THE WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING, AND
HE WANTED TO CONTINUE TO DEFER
TO THE STATES.
HE AND THE VICE PRESIDENT, THEY
SAID THEY BELIEVE IN FEDERALISM.
THE STATE’S GOVERNOR SHOULD MAKE
THEIR OWN DECISIONS.
THAT THE WHITE HOUSE, AT LEAST
FOR NOW, WAS NOT GOING TO IMPOSE
A NATIONAL STAY AT HOME ORDER,
EVEN THOUGH THERE IS MOUNTING
PRESSURE, EVEN FROM WITHIN THE
ADMINISTRATION, FROM DR. FAUCI
AND DR. BIRX, BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS, SUGGESTING THAT IS WHAT
IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW.
PAUSE
PAUSE BECAUSE, AS WE’VE BEEN
DOCUMENTING, YES, THE HOT SPOTS
ARE BIG CITIES ON THE COASTS,
BUT THEY’RE SPREADING.
EVENTUALLY, IT’LL HEAD TO STATES
THAT DON’T HAVE THE MEDICAL
CAPABILITIES, HEALTH CARE
CAPABILITIES THAT, SAY, A NEW
YORK CITY DOES.
NEW YORK CITY HOSPITALS ARE
OVERRUN RIGHT NOW.
NO QUESTION.
NO QUESTION. THERE IS AT LEAST THE CAPACITY
TO HANDLE INFLUX OF PEOPLE.
OTHER STATES, LESS DENSITY,
SURE, BUT ALSO, PERHAPS, DOESN’T
HAVE THE ADEQUATE HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM FOR THE INFLUX OF
PATIENTS SURELY COMING.
FOR NOW, THE PRESIDENT CONTINUES
TO WANT TO PUT THE ONUS ON THE
STATES.
STATES. WE SAW IT IN TERMS OF MEDICAL
EQUIPMENT.
EQUIPMENT. HIS SLOWNESS TO INVOKE THE ACT.
HE WANTS THE STATES TO BE
RESPONSIBLE TO FIND RES SEPARATE
AND MASKS.
AND MASKS. THOUGH THE PRESIDENT EXTENDED
STAY AT HOME GUIDELINES,
SUGGESTIONS THROUGH APRIL 30th,
THERE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE AN
ORDER COMING FROM WASHINGTON
REQUIRING ALL CITIZENS TO
FOLLOW.
FOLLOW. >> THE PROBLEM WITH THAT, MIKA,
IS, OF COURSE, THAT PEOPLE
TRAVEL ACROSS STATE LINES.
AS YOU TRAVEL ACROSS STATE
LINES, YOU TAKE THE VIRUS WITH
YOU.
YOU. YOU INFECT OTHER PEOPLE IN NEW
STATES.
STATES. ALSO, THE PRESIDENT RELYING --
WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS FOR A
VERY LONG TIME -- THE PRESIDENT
RELYING ON 50 GOVERNORS, IT IS A
PATCHWORK APPROACH, AND IT
DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE PRESIDENT
WHO GOT THE INTEL BRIEFINGS IN
JANUARY WARNING HIM.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> IT WASN’T GOVERNORS.
IT WASN’T GOVERNOR KAY.
IT WAS THE PRESIDENT THAT GOT
THE WARNINGS BACK IN JANUARY.
IT WAS THE PRESIDENT WHO HAS
ACTUALLY A SECRETARY OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES WHO TRIED TO
TALK TO HIM STARTING EARLY
JANUARY.
JANUARY. THE PRESIDENT WOULDN’T TALK TO
HIM FOR TWO WEEKS ABOUT THE
CORONAVIRUS.
CORONAVIRUS. WHEN HE DID, HE WANTED TO TALK
ABOUT VAPING.
ABOUT VAPING. THE PRESIDENT HAD EVERYBODY
AROUND HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE IN
JANUARY WARNING HIM ABOUT THIS,
AND HE KEPT IGNORING IT, OF
COURSE, AND SAID, I’LL PUSH IT
OFF TO THE STATES.
WELL, THERE’S NOT A STATE
APPROACH TO A PANDEMIC.
IT’S A NATIONAL CRISIS.
THAT PANDEMIC SWEEPS ACROSS
COUNTRY LINES.
COUNTRY LINES. IT SWEEPS ACROSS STATE LINES.
IT IMPACTS PEOPLE WHETHER
REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS, RED
STATES OR BLUE STATES.