Wilton Simpson, a Republican Florida Senate leader, sent a memo Saturday to senators regarding the incident at Tina Polsky’s office. It asked that visitors to the building be respectful of social interactions. Polsky, who is a representative of parts of Broward and Palm Beach, has not made public her diagnosis.
The Associated Press was first to report on the tense exchange between state surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Polsky. She claimed that Ladapo and his two aides were given masks and requested to wear them at Wednesday’s meeting. She stated that she was in a serious condition.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, patients with cancer are more likely to become severely ill due to COVID-19 and may not have the same immunity to vaccines.
Ladapo asked her to meet him in Tallahassee, as he seeks confirmation by the Senate. Ron DeSantis last month.
“It was shocking to me that he treated my in this way,” Polsky stated. “If he becomes a surgeon general in the next few years, I’m really worried about a public health emergency. He won’t be able to provide proper guidance or scientific leadership.
Ladapo said he would go outside but senator stated that he didn’t want to sit on the picnic tables in her office on a hot day. She asked him if there was any reason he couldn’t wear a mask. He didn’t answer.
Emailed requests for comment from the Florida Department of Health were not answered by them.
Democrats opposed Ladapo’s appointment, critiquing his comments and actions in relation to the pandemic.
Ladapo signed new rules for parents that allowed them to decide whether to quarantine their children or keep them in school after they were exposed to COVID-19-positive people just a day before starting his job.
Ladapo stated that people are not comfortable with vaccines because the federal government is not open about their effectiveness and safety. He said there was a concerted effort to conceal stories about people who have had adverse reactions.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccination. This vaccine meets the highest safety standards. It has been administered to millions of people and proved to be safe against death and hospitalization. But, over time, immunity can decrease.
Simpson sent a memo to senators and staff explaining that there is no Senate mask mandate, but senators can request social distancing or masking in their offices.
He said, “It shouldn’t take a diagnosis of cancer for people to respect one another’s level of comfort in social interactions during a panic.” “What happened in Senator Polsky’s office was unprofessional. It will not be tolerated by the Senate.”
