Florida will begin issuing $5,000 fines to companies, faculties and authorities businesses that require individuals to point out proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a invoice earlier this yr that banned vaccine passports. The fines will begin Sept. 16 if individuals are requested to point out proof of a vaccine.
“Guarantees made, guarantees stored,” DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske stated Wednesday.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the state’s solely statewide elected Democrat and a candidate hoping to problem DeSantis for governor subsequent yr, was important of the fines.
“Governor DeSantis is retaliating towards Floridians who’re attempting to guard themselves and their communities from COVID-19,” Fried stated in an emailed assertion. “This not solely goes towards widespread sense — it is also an insult to the free market ideas that he claims to champion.”
COVID-19 infections in Florida have skyrocketed over the summer season because the state has been one of many hardest hit areas of the U.S. from the delta variant. The U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers has reported greater than 15,000 sufferers are presently hospitalized in Florida, up from about 1,800 in June.