DeSantis on 3-Year Anniversary of ’15 Days to Slow the Spread’ — ‘We Need Accountability’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks as he announces a proposal for Digital Bill of Rights, We
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Hannah Knudsen

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday held a press conference marking the three-year anniversary of “15 Days to Slow the Spread,” noting that many of the issues America faces — from inflation to “skyrocketing debt” — stem from the “failures of the expert class in the response” to the coronavirus.

Three years later, elites are still clinging to some of the “failed polices” including vaccine mandates for foreign travelers, DeSantis said. He explained that a lot of the problems America faces — from inflation to the spike in interest rates to banking issues and mental health issues — are rooted in the failed response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“You know, we’re here looking at this, you know, three years out. It’s just important to say, the experts that designed these policies and that were hectoring everybody, you know, they were wrong about almost everything,” DeSantis said, highlighting the destructive polices such as mass school closures, which had a “huge negative impact on the well being of our youth.”

“They were wrong about forced masking. The CDC at one point said if you wear masks, COVID would end in six weeks. That was in 2020. They said that and that was not true. They were wrong to deny the existence of natural immunity. That’s just a fact of life when you recover from something like that, you do get protection, and they said no on natural immunity for a long time,” DeSantis said, noting that these so-called experts continually hurt their credibility throughout the pandemic.

“We need accountability,” DeSantis said, calling for more answers about the gain-of-function research that took place.

“We need to know everything about the lab leak. We need to know about the role of Dr. Fauci and all of this to make sure that he is held accountable. And we just need to resolve that,” DeSantis continued, asserting that Fauci and Deborah Birx, former President Donald Trump’s coronavirus coordinator, “never intended just 15 days” to slow the spread, as initially pitched.

“That was just a basically marketing to try to get people to buy in initially,” he said, explaining it was “hard to break out” once it started.

“And so the plan was always I think, to have it longer,” he continued, highlighting the criticisms some red states, including Florida, received for opening back up early. 

“I think every step of the way, they would always try to do things to condition your behavior, control your behavior,” DeSantis said, determining that control was the objective from the beginning. 

“I think it’s just better policy is just tell it like it is. Give people the information, the best information you have, give it to them, give them the facts, and then let them make the best decisions for themselves and for their families,” he added:

An original flier on the “15 Days to Slow the Spread” urges people to stay home if they are sick and entire households to stay home if one person in their household tested positive for the virus.

“Even if you are young, or otherwise healthy, you are at risk and your activities can increase the risk of others,” the pamphlet warns, asserting that it is “critical” to “do your part to slow the spread of the coronavirus.” The document goes on, advising individuals to refrain from gathering in groups of more than ten people and avoid eating in restaurants or engaging in “discretionary travel.”

WATCH the full press conference below:

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