Governor Ron DeSantis's "stay at home" executive order is soon to take effect, leaving some wondering whether walking the dog, shooting hoops, and other daily activities will be allowed. DeSantis says Floridians need to be engaging in essential services or activities to go outside. That can include getting groceries and caring for loved ones.
"It's less important what you do than how you do it," DeSantis said during his Thursday press conference. "For example, if you want to go for a 10 mile run by yourself and come back, more power to you. But you wouldn't be able to do a 20-person road race in the neighborhood with 19 of your friends."
His order is setting minimum standards for the state. DeSantis says if local governments want to introduce more restrictions through ordinances, they can.
"Yeah, they can go beyond what I've done if they want to restrict access to certain areas. I mean, for example, you know we're saying you can go out for a jog, and I know there's running trails. If a local wants just to shut down the running trail and they want to do that, then they can do it," DeSantis says.
While the order is seeking to crack down on large gatherings, it provides an exception for church services. The governor points to the first ammendment as to why the state doesn't have the power to shut down churches.
"The constitution doesn't get suspended here. There's got to be ways where you can accomodate," DeSantis says.
He's recommending local governments work with rabbis, pastors, and other faith leaders to implement social distancing measures. That can include offering virtual church service or spacing churchgoers out by several feet.
