It’s going to be a weekend of watching the weather and the Covid situation.
There’s tropical depression named Fred. It’s a mess of a storm right now. My friend Dave Osterberg, a heck of a meteorologist, believes it will be a tropical storm again. Saturday night and Sunday should be the worst for a Tampa Bay. Dave says to expect lots of rain.
Now to Covid. Where to start? Hospitals are full. BayCare has paused all elective surgeries in many local counties. That, they say, will help them preserve resources for the severely ill.
According to the White House, Florida and Texas account for nearly forty percent of new hospitalizations right now.
Florida just set a record with nearly 15,800 people in the hospital with Covid. It could get worse. Seventy percent of Florida hospitals are expecting critical staffing shortages in the next week.
Now, to face masks in schools. Friday in Tallahassee, a judge heard a lawsuit filed by parents from all over the state. They want schools to decide student safety… not the state. My TV station, Fox 13, is reporting that the lawsuit contends Governor Ron DeSantis’ order banning mask mandates in schools is unconstitutional.
These parents say the Governor is putting their children in jeopardy by not mandating masks. That, they say, violates the portion of the Florida Constitution that ensures “uniform, efficient, safe, secure and a high quality system of public schools.”
We will see how this goes. It could be a game changer. It could, at the very least, settle the argument between the state and local school districts.
I could keep writing, but I won’t. You get it. It’s bad. It feels like a year ago.
If parents feel strongly that a mask will protect their child they should have them wear one, that’s parenting not government mandate!