By Paolo Montoya
Editor-in-Chief

Universities, restaurants, nail salons, and offices across America are requiring the vaccines, but Florida isn’t.

As of April 3, 2021, all businesses and institutions in Florida have been legally barred from requiring their customers to get the COVID-19 vaccine, thanks to Desantis’ executive order. As of April 20, however, the proposal has been added to an emergency bill in the Florida Legislature that would make this ban on the “COVID passports” permanent. 

Beyond simply making businesses in Florida greater breeding grounds for new COVID cases, this ban would also decrease vaccination rates in the state of Florida. 

“If we aren’t going to be required to have them to go the supermarket or to the mall, then I’m sure there are people who won’t get them, literally because the government is telling them they don’t have to,” sophomore Gabriel Flores said. 

He also opines on how the Florida Legislature might instead incentivize its citizens to receive the vaccine.

“Maybe they can make it so that supermarkets and other essential places don’t require a covid vaccine, but other places that people visit for fun should require one. Arcades, water parks, and other places would benefit from this because if people want to have fun, they should have the vaccine.”

Young teens aren’t the only concerned individuals, MAST teachers have their fair share of worries as well. 

“I don’t think that DeSantis is doing a good job with this. Urging society to NOT get vaccinated is so obviously wrong that it doesn’t make sense,” physics teacher Dr. Hood said. 

“I was one of the first few teachers to get my vaccine, not even to be able to go out, just to keep myself healthy. There’s no reason no one else shouldn’t want to do the same,” she concluded. 

As vaccination rates increase as vaccine eligibility spreads to all Americans, hopefully society will ease into a return to normalcy. However, policies like the ban of COVID passports bring us no further to that goal.