Parents should decide on masking kids in school says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joined "Unfiltered with Dan Bongino" Saturday to discuss his executive order that prohibited school mask mandates under Florida's "Parents' Bill of Rights," telling host Dan Bongino "the parents should be the ones to decide."

"We’re in a situation where we need to make sure the parents’ rights are protected," DeSantis said in a news conference Friday. 

The governor's executive order came after the CDC reversed its indoor mask guidance earlier this week amid the delta variant outbreak sweeping across the nation. 

FLORIDA GOV. DESANTIS SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER MAKING MASKS OPTIONAL IN SCHOOLS

"The CDC comes in and says every single person in a school - students, teachers, staff have to be masked at all times. That is not consistent with the evidence. That is not data-driven," DeSantis said. 

"I think if the CDC had its way, I think they'd probably have kids in masks indefinitely," he added.

As public health experts voice concern over the new virus strain, the governor made it clear that the state is committed to ensuring school reopenings this fall. 

"Parents across the board, they wanted the ability to send their kids to school…They want their kid to be able to be normal," DeSantis said. "The schools are really the perfect place to do it because they're one of the lowest risk environments we have for COVID. And the data on that is very clear."

The governor has been vocal on minimal government intervention through the pandemic, and told Bongino "fear doesn't work. I think people are sick of that… There are certain people who never want the hysteria to end for their own purposes, and we can't let them win - Florida's free." 

DeSantis often labels his state as the "oasis of freedom," fighting against coronavirus restrictions and curricula like critical race theory being taught in the schools. 

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"We pride ourselves on people being free to choose on how they want to govern their affairs," DeSantis said. 

"We're basically empowering the parents to be able to recognize what's best for their kids."