The Political Insider

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that anyone charged for violating COVID restrictions in his state will be pardoned.

“It’s a total overreach,” he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham regarding the restrictions. “These things with health should be advisory, they should not be punitive.”

DeSantis then directly addressed a gym-owning couple who were facing up to 120 days in jail for allowing members at their gym to go without masks.

“I’m glad you have Mike and Jillian on,” DeSantis said to Ingraham, “and I’m also glad to be on to be able to say that effective tomorrow morning, I’m going to sign a reprieve under my constitutional authority.”

He noted this would delay their case at which time the clemency board will meet and “we’ll issue pardons not only for Mike and Jillian, but for any Floridian that may have outstanding infractions for things like masks and social distancing.”

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DeSantis Will Pardon COVID Violators

DeSantis went on to point out that wearing masks while exercising at a gym is absurd and actually against recommendations.

“The World Health Organization advises against it! It’s not healthy to be doing that in the first place, so it was a bad restriction,” he maintained.

The WHO website confirms this on their website.

“Even when you’re in an area of COVID-19 transmission, masks should not be worn during vigorous physical activity because of the risk of reducing your breathing capacity,” the site reads.

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A Governor Who Cares

DeSantis’ announcement should be cheered by anyone and everyone who believes their rights and the rights of all Americans have been trampled throughout the pandemic.

And the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential nomination – should Donald Trump choose not to run – couldn’t help but pat himself on the back a little bit.

“I think they’ve been treated poorly,” DeSantis said of the gym owners and perhaps the others who had been charged for COVID violations, “but fortunately they’ve got a governor that cares.”

DeSantis has frequently found himself symbolizing the governor of liberty and freedom, contrasted by blue-state Democrats who have been the governors of oppression during the COVID pandemic.

Earlier this month, he announced that Florida was lifting all of the state’s remaining lockdown rules saying the state is “no longer in a state of emergency.”

And prior to that, he took executive action to ban the use of “vaccine passports” by businesses or local governments and proudly proclaimed his state’s efforts in opening back up safely and responsibly without onerous and arbitrary rules to stifle citizens.

“We look around in other parts of our country and in too many places we see schools closed, businesses shuttered and lives destroyed,” he said during a speech at CPAC.

“Florida got it right and the lockdown states got it wrong.”

Florida is continuing to get it right under Governor DeSantis.