After denouncing the Trump administration for banning travel from China in 2020, during the early days of the pandemic, on Monday, CNN’s New Day actually promoted the notion of somehow imposing a travel ban on the state of Florida over a recent rise in COVID cases there. Without a sense of irony, the show hyped the notion that travel from the Sunshine State would have already been banned if it were a foreign country.
“Now, one out of every five people hospitalized in this country is in Florida right now....One Florida doctor says children’s hospitals in the state are overwhelmed while Republican Governor Ron DeSantis resists calls to require masks in schools,” declared co-host Brianna Keilar. A soundbite followed of CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner appearing on Sunday’s Inside Politics and ranting:
It’s so high in Florida that I think if Florida were another country, we would have to consider banning travel from Florida to the United States. He [DeSantis] needs to understand that he’s painted himself into a corner. People are dying in Florida, it’s going to get much worse. The hospitals are filling with people.
Rather than dispel the absurd notion of banning travel to and from a state in the union, fellow co-host John Berman thought it was an idea worth exploring: “...Dr. Reiner there set it up, asking the question, if Florida or Louisiana were foreign countries, would we ban travel at this point? Let’s look at it.”
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten immediately pulled up charts of COVID cases in Florida and Louisiana: “I mean, this is bad. Florida, Louisiana, look at this, this is new cases.” Berman egged him on: “Now, compared to other countries?” Enten replied: “Look at this, COVID cases per 100,000, Louisiana +99, Florida +90, United Kingdom, only +40, still really high but not anywhere near as high as Florida or Louisiana....they are worse than places in which travelers are mostly banned from.”
Berman asked: “So Dr. Reiner was on to something here?” Enten agreed: “He was on to something, numbers back him up.”
The leftist media obsession with trying to deflect blame away from President Biden and onto Republican governors is transparently partisan. For CNN to go so far as to hypocritically start throwing around talk of “banning travel” to certain states just brings it to a whole other level of shamelessness.
This silly suggestion of trying to build a wall around Florida was brought to viewers by Liberty Mutual and IHOP. You can fight back by letting these advertisers know what you think of them sponsoring such content.
Here is a transcript of the August 9 segment:
8:01 AM ET
(...)
BRIANNA KEILAR: Now, one out of every five people hospitalized in this country is in Florida right now. In Jacksonville, six members of one church died within two weeks. And the pastor says 18 to 20 other church members are hospitalized with a virus. On Sunday, the church held its first vaccination clinic. One Florida doctor says children’s hospitals in the state are overwhelmed while Republican Governor Ron DeSantis resists calls to require masks in schools. Here’s how Dr. Jonathan Reiner described the surge.
DR. JONATHAN REINER [CNN MEDICAL ANALYST]: It’s so high in Florida that I think if Florida were another country, we would have to consider banning travel from Florida to the United States. He needs to understand that he’s painted himself into a corner. People are dying in Florida, it’s going to get much worse. The hospitals are filling with people.
JOHN BERMAN: Now, Harry Enten, CNN senior data reporter. Harry, Dr. Reiner there set it up, asking the question, if Florida or Louisiana were foreign countries, would we ban travel at this point? Let’s look at it.
HARRY ENTEN: I mean, this is bad. Florida, Louisiana, look at this, this is new cases. Worst of the entire pandemic in both Louisiana and Florida. Look at that, per 100,000, up to around 100 per day. Look at this, hospitalizations, same deal, look at this. Worst of the entire pandemic in both Louisiana and Florida. The only difference here is Louisiana is worse on this – Florida is worse on this metric, Florida is worse than the other. But wither way you look at it, it’s bad.
BERMAN: Now, compared to other countries?
ENTEN: Compared to other countries, look at this. So these are countries, United Kingdom, France, Greece, where basically you have to wait 14 days after you’ve been in those countries. It’s essentially a travel ban for most travelers. Look at this, COVID cases per 100,000, Louisiana +99, Florida +90, United Kingdom, only +40, still really high but not anywhere near as high as Florida or Louisiana. Same thing in France, at +31, Greece at +25. So, yeah, these places, Louisiana and Florida, and there are some other states in there as well, they are worse than places in which travelers are mostly banned from.
BERMAN: So Dr. Reiner was onto something here?
ENTEN: He was on to something, numbers back him up.
(...)
