Florida Rep. Donna Shalala says 'we need to close down again' due to coronavirus

Florida Rep. Donna Shalala is calling for Sunshine State shutdowns in order to combat the coronavirus.

"But the real thing we need to do is we need to close down again," she said during an interview on ABC's This Week. "I said four months ago if we don't do this right we're gonna have to close down again — that's our worst nightmare and we're going to have to do that in Florida."

Added Shalala: "We simply cannot protect the economy if we don't protect the lives of the people in our community." 

In a July 17 letter to Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Shalala and other lawmakers called for stay-at-home orders in areas heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for a statewide mask order.

"By delaying steps like a statewide mask order and targeted stay-at-home orders, by even one more day, additional business closures and their devastating impacts on Florida’s economy and the livelihoods of our constituents may be necessary," the congress members wrote in the letter.

"I urge Governor DeSantis to issue statewide mandatory mask and stay-at-home orders lasting a minimum of twenty-one days to prevent this outbreak from spiraling further out of control," Rep. Shalala said in a July 12 statement.