White House report urges acts DeSantis doesn’t back

The White House Coronavirus Task Force is urging state leaders to take strong measures to stem the surge of the virus including that there be no indoor gatherings of people outside of those in immediate households.

Florida is among the states being asked to step up its efforts, efforts — such as shutting down bars and indoor dining— that run contrary to what Gov. Ron DeSantis has espoused.

The Dec. 6 report was obtained by The Center for Public Integrity. Such reports are generated weekly bya26-person panel that is chaired

by Vice President Mike Pence. Dr. Deborah Birx serves as the panel’s response coordinator.

The panel formed in January, but since Nov. 1, DeSantis’ office has refused to release these public records.

Earlier this week, the Orlando Sentinel sued the governor’ s office to release the reports, a suit the South Florida Sun Sentinelwill be joining.

Key aspects of the report are recommendations that:

■ All public health officials must make it clear that anyone 65 or older or people with significant health concerns should not enter any indoor public space where anyone is unmasked.

■ That anyone 40 or under who gathered with people outside of their immediate household over Thanksgiving should assume they became infected.

■ Calls for Florida and other key states to do aggressive testing “to find asymptomatic individuals responsible for the majority of the infections spread.”

TheWhiteHouse hasadvocated for these reports being widely shared, including with the media, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Leon County circuit court.

“Despite the threat the virus continues to pose to Floridians [DeSantis and his office] have engaged in a pattern of concealment and suppression by steadfastly refusing to comply with the Public Records Act and delaying access to weekly White House Coronavirus Task Force reports,” the lawsuit reads.