Gov. Ron DeSantis followed in President Trump’s footsteps on Tuesday in praising The Villages for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis – despite some social distancing issues in the community neither apparently knows anything about.
DeSantis appeared with Trump at a White House press conference early Tuesday afternoon and talked about how Florida has made it a priority to protect the elderly since they are among the most susceptible to the virus. He said seniors throughout the state were warned to limit contact with others and to stay at home whenever possible. He said they listened to those warnings and cited The Villages as a shining example of success among the pandemic.
“There were articles written saying, ‘Oh, The Villages is going to crash and burn’ and all this other stuff,” he said, citing the low number of cases in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown, which as of Tuesday morning stood at 79.
DeSantis also said 1,200 asymptomatic residents had been tested in the community and none were found to have the virus. That conflicts with information released by UF Health, which conducted testing at The Villages Polo Fields that caused consternation about residents who were showing symptoms and desperately wanted to be tested. UF Health claims to have tested 2,100 people showing no symptoms. After the first week of testing in March, the out-of-town healthcare provider said it had tested about 1,400 asymptomatic residents and two came back positive. Both of those people had traveled recently and didn’t develop symptoms until after they were tested, according to UF Health.
DeSantis’ statement about The Villages is quite similar to a tweet recently sent out by Trump offering praise for the community, Developer Mark Morse and Gary Lester, Villages Vice President of Community Relations.
“Congratulations to all of my many friends at The Villages in Florida on having done so well, and with such great spirit, during these rather unusual times. So proud of everyone!” the April 20 tweet read.
Trump’s tweet and DeSantis’ statement would indicate that neither is aware of some of the issues surrounding the Coronavirus that have been going on in The Villages – a concern among many in the community as recreation centers and swimming pools prepare to reopen in May 4.
For instance, a long line of area residents clearly ignoring the social distancing guidelines of staying six feet apart gathered outside Fresh Market on Tuesday as they waited to get in the store to take advantage of sales on ground chuck and chicken. A similar scene unfolded recently outside Red Sauce in Lake Sumter Landing as residents packed together in a large crowd while awaiting to-go orders.
Local residents also were seen crowded around restaurant bars after news of the virus and the need to practice social distancing first surfaced. Golfers were seen in groups on several courses. And Sumter County sheriff’s deputies have been called to disperse crowds from an area near the Lake Sumter bridge and the town square area of Lake Sumter Landing, where a large fence has been erected around the town square area and chairs and picnic tables have been roped off to keep residents from using them.
