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DeSantis Urges Residents, Visitors To Travel By Plane

Southwest Airlines 737s at Orlando International Airport. Photo: Matthew Peddie, WMFE
Southwest Airlines 737s at Orlando International Airport. Photo: Matthew Peddie, WMFE

Governor DeSantis held a roundtable meeting with members of the aviation industry at Fort Lauderdale International Airport Friday.

He stressed that air travel is vitally important to Florida’s economy, and encouraged residents and people outside the state not to be scared to book flights.

"If you came to me in March, I would have said man I don’t [know] about flying because it’s in close contact, maybe someone starts to cough on you or whatever, the fact of the matter is we have just not seen airlines lead to outbreaks, and people should understand that," said DeSantis.

Early research has shown that air travel has not led to sharp upticks in cases of COVID-19. Industry experts suggest that’s because of a combination of reduced seating, requiring masks and sophisticated air filtration systems.