Canadian Doctors Are Warning Tourists Over Florida Vaccine Policies: ‘Sheer Unadulterated Craziness’

Canadians reconsidering winter vacations in Florida because of President Trump’s tariffs and 51st state rhetoric now have another reason to shun the Sunshine State.Doctors in Canada are telling travelers that they could be at risk heading to Disney World or other vacation hot-spots in Florida because of the state’s new vaccine policies.Florida announced this week that it is working to end vaccine mandates for all shots — including Covid-19, measles, and hepatitis B — for school children and residents, making it the first state to voluntarily discontinue a practice long credited for limiting the spread of infectious diseases.There are fears that diseases that are normally contained due to widespread immunizations could start spreading in the Sunshine State.You “don’t need a crystal ball” to see that outcome, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto’s General Hospital, Isaac Bogoch, tells the CBC.“It’s more likely that there will be more frequent and larger outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses,” Dr. Bogoch adds.About 3.4 million Canadians traveled to Florida last year. Those numbers are down considerably this year as many Canadians avoid travel to the United States due to anger over Mr. Trump’s tariffs and his talk of making Canada the 51st state.Canadian visitation to the United States has plunged 25 percent year-to-date, Tourism Economics reports.Florida has seen a drop too, but Canadians represent only about 2 percent of the state’s annual tourist business. Governor Ron DeSantis announced last month that Florida had a record-breaking 34.4 million visitors in April through June of this year.“Florida continues to lead the way as the nation’s top travel destination,” Mr. DeSantis said. “People from all over the world come to the Free State of Florida to take advantage of our top-tier attractions, great weather, and our commitment to public safety.”An infectious disease specialist in Toronto’s Sinai Health, Alison McGeer, says travelers to Florida don’t need to rethink their plans yet due to vaccine policy.“At least at the moment, whatever additional risk in Florida is small,” Dr. McGeer told the CBC. But she warned that things could be different in a few years because of growing vaccine hesitancy across the entire United States.“We [should] recognize that what’s going on in the United States is just sheer unadulterated craziness, and that children will die in the U.S. because of the decisions people are making,” Dr. McGreer said.

Canadian Doctors Are Warning Tourists Over Florida Vaccine Policies: ‘Sheer Unadulterated Craziness’

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