While 17 states have implemented stay-at-home orders, the governor is resisting pressure to lock down Florida because of worries about the economic implications.

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Throughout the coronavirus crisis, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been hesitant to push too hard on businesses as he tries to thread the needle between promoting public safety and economic activity.

The governor resisted closing restaurant dining areas, initially allowing them to operate at half capacity before deciding a few days later to limit all eateries to delivery and takeout orders. He closed bars and gyms but is still allowing other nonessential businesses like nail and hair salons to stay open.

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Still, Florida largely followed much of the country — if belatedly — in shutting down significant portions of the economy to try to contain the virus’s spread.

But this week DeSantis drew a line in the sand, saying he will not institute a statewide stay-at-home order, which many other states are doing in a desperate bid to contain the virus before it overwhelms the health care system.

DeSantis said Monday that a stay-at-home order is too “blunt” of an instrument and would cost too many jobs. His decision to protect the economy in the short term goes against what leading health experts are recommending, and may be a big gamble in a state with so many elderly people who are especially susceptible to the virus.

It’s also a sign of the growing partisan rift over how to respond to the coronavirus, as President Donald Trump urges a return to normal economic activity soon, putting pressure on GOP governors to hold off on more aggressive measures.

“You simply cannot lock down our society with no end in sight,’’ DeSantis said Monday.

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Those words echoed the president, who — after a week of following the advice of his health advisers and calling for strict limits on social interactions — signaled a change late Sunday when he tweeted in all caps “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM.”

Since then Trump repeatedly has said that he wants to end the lockdowns and the business shutdowns soon.

Trump said Tuesday during a Fox News town hall that he wants to have the economy “opened up and just raring to go by Easter.”

With 17 states now implementing some type of stay-at-home order and closing nonessential businesses, the economic ramifications are certain to be profound, rattling Trump and many Americans who are worried about a deep recession, possibly even a depression.

But some health experts and political leaders believe states like Florida still aren’t going far enough to contain the virus, saying the lack of action could lead to a significant loss of life and also may prolong the economic malaise.

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Dr. Christian Brechot, a University of South Florida professor who serves as president of the Global Virus Network, said that he believes strong efforts must be taken to limit Floridians’ mobility right now.

“I believe it would make sense to have a stringent order,” Brechot said.

Brechot said he found it “very shocking” to see images of large crowds gathered on Florida beaches for spring break.

Many public beaches are now closed across the state because of orders issued by local municipalities. But Brechot worries that young people still are not taking the virus seriously enough, noting they are still at risk of developing major health problems.

“In general I believe restricting the movement of the overall population would make sense; I believe so,” Brechot said, adding that aggressive testing also is critical.

While acknowledging that DeSantis and other policymakers face “really tough” decisions right now, University of South Florida public health expert Dr. Marissa Levine said lockdowns have proven to work elsewhere and they have a greater impact when done earlier, rather than later.

Levine, a professor of public health and family medicine at USF who leads the school’s Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice, said the nation is at “a really important time” when practicing social distancing is “crucial.”

Levine has been studying the response to the 1918 flu pandemic. That virus killed about 675,000 people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Those places that implemented a lot of these community mitigation measures ... those places that did it early before they saw a peak of activity generally saw less deaths than places that waited,” said Levine, who previously served as Virginia’s state health commissioner. “That’s another reason to heed the historical messages and make sure we don’t wait until it’s so bad.”

There are no easy decisions right now “because you’re balancing the protecting of public health with significant economic disruptions and they both matter,” Levine said.

On the question of whether to issue a lockdown, Levine said: “We know that’s been effective... the question is when to implement those? I’ll reiterate, the earlier you implement these activities generally the better outcome.”

“I know the governor’s trying to figure out how limited you need to make people’s mobility in order to be effective,” she continued.

Trump, though, has discounted the advice of health experts, implying Tuesday that recommendations for a longer shutdown are not practical.

“I’m sure that we have doctors that would say let’s keep it closed for two years, OK, let’s close it up for two years,” Trump said. “No we gotta get it open, our people want it open and that’s the way this country was built.”

With the president leading the pushback, the partisan divide over how to respond to the virus appears to be deepening.

Most of the lockdowns have come in states with Democratic governors, such as California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon and elsewhere, although Republican governors in Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia also have taken the step.

“It’s time we do absolutely everything that we can ... the lesson of history time after time has been if you don’t do these things early enough, you pay the price, and the price you pay is a lot of people dying,” Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday in announcing a stay-at-home order.

In Florida, Republican leaders have stood by DeSantis while many Democrats have pushed him to go further.

“I support the governor in his efforts to approach this challenge in a reasonable and balanced manner,” said Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton. “He is doing a good job making tough decisions.”

The Republican Party of Florida put out a press release Tuesday lauding DeSantis for his efforts to combat the virus.

“Gov. Ron DeSantis is resolutely leading the state through the coronavirus outbreak with measured, informed, effective actions to protect the health and rights of Floridians,” Florida GOP Chairman Joe Gruters said in the release.

DeSantis has been more aggressive on some issues. On Monday he said all airline passengers traveling to Florida from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will have to self-isolate for 14 days. The New York area has been a virus hotspot.

But trying to contain travelers with the virus may only go so far when it already is spreading among Florida residents.

The state’s lone elected statewide Democrat, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, criticized DeSantis for failing to tighten restrictions on Floridians.

“Our piecemeal approach so far isn’t going to adequately flatten the curve, especially given Florida’s senior population,” she said. “That’s why I’m continuing to ask the governor to issue a stay-at-home order, as I did last week.”

Fried acknowledged a statewide shelter-in-place order would further rattle an already virtually paralyzed Florida economy. But she added, “It comes down to this: When you get sick, your doctor doesn’t tell you to only take half your medicine — you take the whole prescription, otherwise you might not beat the illness. Right now, we need to take our whole prescription.”

While there was little criticism of DeSantis from fellow Republicans, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, a former Florida Republican Party chair, did take a more aggressive approach than the governor on Tuesday, ordering businesses in his city to allow employees to work remotely, when possible.

Those offices and companies that defy his order could be subject to having their utilities shut off, or their workplace condemned by city officials, he said in a Tuesday afternoon briefing.

“Employers and employees, work together to make this executive order work,” Curry said. “Sit down and figure this out. Obviously, if you talk, sit down six feet part. But figure out, can the job duties be performed at home? Both sides be reasonable. And if they can, work from home.”

A handful of state House and Senate Democrats also inundated DeSantis on Tuesday with calls for broader restrictions. They said a spreading virus will cripple the economy much longer, causing a worse financial hit.

“The longer this virus sickens our population, the longer the damage to our economy,” said Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa. “We can continue to slap on Band-Aids and hope for the best, or we can take immediate, bold action to stop the coronavirus in its tracks.”

Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, added, “Tracking information continues to show the virus will continue to spread if we don’t take a stronger approach that only a complete shutdown of nonessential businesses will accomplish.”

Republican allies of DeSantis, though, say the governor has been trying to strike a delicate balance.

Rep. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, this week asked DeSantis to waive business tax obligations for Florida businesses, at least until the current limits are lifted. He said the governor should also look to ordering a halt in license renewals, property tax payments and other routine government demands on Floridians whose incomes are now jeopardized.

“I don’t envy the balancing act the governor is trying to do,” Yarborough said. “He’s getting pressure from all sides.”

But Yarborough said data should drive the next steps. “We have to make sure the data we’re interpreting is accurate,” he said. “But whatever shutdowns we’re looking at, and how and when we come out of this, has to be based on correct numbers.”

As he has done throughout the crisis, DeSantis modified his approach somewhat Tuesday and said he will recommend that those 65-and-older and individuals with serious health conditions stay home. The governor also said he is encouraging any nonessential businesses to promote telecommuting, with a goal of having half of all employees working remotely. He called it a “health advisory.”

Before announcing the new recommendations, he talked about trying to get the economy restarted as soon as possible, voicing concerns about those who are out of work. He noted the big surge in Floridians applying for unemployment — 21,000 Monday, 18,000 Sunday.

“Let’s work to blunt the force of the virus, let’s protect those folks who could be most in jeopardy of really negative health impacts but let’s also get society functioning so that the overall public health is better,” DeSantis said, adding: “I think you can do this in a way that is gonna really continue to let us make progress on the virus but will also allow the society to function again.”

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