Florida Gov. DeSantis Says It “Doesn’t Make Sense” To Close Gyms

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says closing gyms is an option that “just doesn’t make sense,” despite expert recommendations. DeSantis was responding to a report that recommended the state roll back its reopening measures.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

“I think taking that option away for people to be healthy just doesn’t make sense,” DeSantis said during a press conference, Friday. “I think most people who are going to the gyms are in the low-risk groups, and I think what they are doing is making them even less at risk of the coronavirus. So, I don’t think it would make sense to close them.”

The Republican governor says he has no plans to scale back the state’s reopening process, instead suggesting the rising COVID-19 cases are a result of increased testing.

“I think, the fact that we’re testing so much has led to case numbers that have been put out there, and I think kind of unfairly maligning the state ” he continued. “If some of those states like New York and New Jersey were testing 100,000 a day at their height, they would have had 40,000 or 50,000 cases a day. I think it’s important to put that in perspective.”

As of Saturday afternoon, Florida has reported over 327,000 cases of COVID-19 and over 4,800 deaths.

[Via]