Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’s team told Fox News that he was accompanying his wife to cancer treatments after Democrats criticised him for going missing amid a Covid-19 spike in the state.
The Republican governor, considered a potential contender for the 2024 presidential nomination, reduced public appearances amid a spike in Covid-19 cases and not held a public press conference since 17 December.
Florida is facing a daily average of about 36,781 according to The New York Times. Two weeks ago, the state had about a 2,600 daily average but the Omicron variant and people travelling to the state for the holiday season has caused an increase.
In response, Democrats like Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings assailed the governor, saying Floridians should “should ask the question, ‘Where is our state? Where is our governor? Where is Ron DeSantis now?’ When is the last time you saw the governor do a press briefing on Covid-19?” The governor has vocally opposed both mask mandates and limited businesses’ ability to impose vaccine mandates.
Mr DeSantis’s wife Casey, with whom he has three children, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October and and the governor told Fox at the time that “Casey is the centerpiece of our family and has made an impact on the lives of countless Floridians through her initiatives as first lady.”
But WFLA reported that the governor will make his first public appearance in two weeks for a “Let Us Worship Miami” event for New Year’s Eve ahead of the Orange Bowl.
Andrew Naughtie contributed to this report
