‘The Pied Piper leading us off a cliff’: Florida governor condemned as Covid surges

Ron DeSantis's desire to keep state open amid Delta surge draws criticism from local leaders to the White House

Florida governor Ron DeSantis earned a new moniker this week as the resurgent coronavirus continued to wreak havoc on his state: the Pied Piper of Covid-19, leading everybody off a cliff."

The stark assessment of the Republican politician from Dan Gelber, the mayor of Miami Beach, came as Florida continued to set records for new cases and hospitalizations, saw worrying surges in both deaths and rates of positivity, and led the nation in pediatric Covid admissions.