DeSantis Files Emergency Appeal on Mask Ruling

One day after a judge blocked Florida from enforcing its ban on mask mandates, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis filed an emergency appeal. If successful, the Republican's filing would keep the ban in effect while the courts decide the issue, CNN reports. Some school districts in the state are requiring students to wear face masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus despite DeSantis' prohibition. The governor's lawyers argue that the judge should have let the ban remain in place during the appeals court process because DeSantis has "a high likelihood of success on appeal."

Attorneys for the parents of schoolchildren fighting the mask mandate ban have to file their response to DeSantis' latest filing by Thursday night. His lawyers argue that there are no school district policies forbidding students to wear masks as it is. In response to the judge's decision, the Lake County School Board voted Thursday to require masks at schools that post a COVID-19 transmission rate above 5% for at least two weeks. The requirement would be in place for two weeks, per ClickOrlando. Otherwise, masks are optional in the school district. (More Ron DeSantis stories.)