Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Why Florida, One Of Hardest Hit States, Is Going Its Own Way
The Washington Post: This Pro-Trump Coastal Community In Florida, Hit Early By Virus, Sits At Emotional Nexus Of National Debate Over Reopening Economy Amid Health Crisis
Hours after her father died, an angry and distraught Lori Hannaford typed out a 3 a.m. Facebook post aimed at anyone still walking around this laid-back city as if the world wasn't reeling from a pandemic caused by a deadly virus with no vaccine and no cure. “I hope you never have to lose a spouse and be unable to touch them, be in their room, or say goodbye to them,” she wrote, a short time after changing her Facebook cover photo to a picture of her stepfather kissing her on her wedding day. “I hope you never have to lose your father and be unable to hug your mom and be consoled because you have to stay 6 feet away.” (Wootson, 3/29)
The Wall Street Journal: Florida, Unlike Other Hard-Hit States, Avoids Broad Coronavirus Lockdown
Public-health officials say statewide lockdowns implemented early and aggressively are necessary to curb the coronavirus pandemic. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis disagrees. Among the states in the U.S. with the most coronavirus cases, Florida alone has refrained from imposing a statewide stay-at-home order. The Republican governor has instead focused restrictions on the hardest-hit counties while seeking to spare other areas from the deep economic pain that comes with a lockdown. (Campo-Flores, 3/30)
Los Angeles Times: Florida Retirees Grapple As Coronavirus Cases Soar
Gone are the weekly bingo games at Temple Beth Am. Gone too are the daily shuttles around the golf course and the Friday bus trips to the mall. A vast game room, typically full of bridge players, is locked up. “Nothing,” said Carol Friedman, a 70-year-old resident of Wynmoor, a South Florida retirement community of 9,000 residents, just a few miles from the ocean shore. “Can’t do nothing now. Everyone just sits here bored.” (Kaleem, 3/29)
