Hannity: It's time to open America
The endless, one-size-fits-all lockdown orders need to end right now.
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Sean Hannity called for America to reopen "right away" Wednesday, saying that the time had come to eliminate "one size fits all" lockdown orders before slamming New York's response to the coronavirus emergency.
"This is the cover of The New York Post tomorrow," Hannity said, as a graphic displayed the front page of the tabloid's Thursday edition.
"It reads, 'The Big Apple is dying. Its streets are empty. Tens of thousands of have been plunged into poverty. Our leaders have no plan, no answers. New Yorkers have already learned to social distance. Businesses can adjust. The elderly and sick can continue to be isolated. But it needs to end. Now,'" Hannity said, quoting columnist David Marcus.
"Here's my prediction," the host went on. "New York City, New York state leaders, so-called leaders, they will not listen until it's too late.
"Grab your wallets if you live in New York. You're about to get robbed," Hannity warned. "They are going to rob you because they'll never be able to get their way out of this mess they created."
Hannity criticized the initial stay-at-home order, saying it may have killed more people than the coronavirus.
"In the absence of conclusive data, these lockdowns were justified initially, but millions of lives were being destroyed with little consideration that the lockdowns might not only cause economic devastation, but potentially more deaths than COVID-19 itself," Hannity said. "Now these endless, one-size-fits-all lockdown orders ... they need to end now."
The host then declared that if Americans want to know how to open the country, they should follow the lead of states like Texas and Florida.
"We know how to do this. We know how to do it safely. Americans are screaming to get their freedom and their country back. And they're even willing to wear masks in the appropriate situations," he said. "Florida got it right. Texas got it right. And guess what? Now it's time for all the states to follow their lead.
"And by the way, we can learn from some states that were successful. More importantly, we need to learn from the abject failures, meaning New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan."
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Hannity also said the media owed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis an apology for their criticism of his reopening strategy.
"You owe Governor DeSantis a huge apology because you accused him of wanting to kill grandma because you opened Florida's beaches. Grandma wasn't going to the beach in her bikini," Hannity said. "Grandma was sheltering in place because he [DeSantis] already sent his National Guard and every state agency to every elderly care facility and nursing home ... So they were preparing the whole time. Guess what? They weren't wrong. Others were."