Allysia Finley, a member of The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, penned an op-ed showcasing how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ COVID policies have been vindicated.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was vilified for rejecting harsh lockdowns. But Florida’s Covid-19 numbers are better than California’s or New York’s, and its economy thrives, writes @AllysiaFinley https://t.co/qGcQ3cHqja via @WSJ
— Jeffrey A Tucker (@jeffreyatucker) March 6, 2021
A year after the virus hit the U.S., Mr. Cuomo’s luster has faded, and Mr. DeSantis can claim vindication. The Sunshine State appears to have weathered the pandemic better than others like New York and California, which stayed locked down harder and longer.
The op-ed goes on:
The fall and winter lockdowns don’t appear to have made any difference in the virus spread. Between Nov. 1 and Feb. 28, there were 5.8 new cases per 100 people in New York, 6.4 in California, and only 5 in Florida, where businesses could stay open at full capacity. But the economic impact of the lockdowns has been enormous.
Employment declined by 4.6% in Florida in 2020, compared with 8% in California and 10.4% in New York. Leisure and hospitality jobs fell 15% in Florida, vs. 30% in California and 39% in New York.
There are more numbers vindicating DeSantis as well.
Bureau of Economic Analysis: Florida’s economy shrank 3.7% in the 3rd quarter of 2020 from the 4th quarter of 2019. During that same time period, California’s economy shrank 4.9% while New York’s shrank 8%.
Census Bureau: Between April 2020 and January 2021, Florida’s per capita business formation was 2x higher than California’s and 75% higher than New York’s.
This is more evidence of the harm the lockdowns have done to the residents of states where they were imposed.
New York lost 1 million jobs thanks to the lockdowns:
The Numbers Are In: Cuomo’s Draconian Lockdowns Cost New York 1 Million Jobs
Of course, California Governor Gavin Newsom didn’t feel the need to follow the rules he forced Californians to live under.
