It is hard to forget those dark days during the pandemic when people were in the hospital dying but their loved ones were not permitted to visit them. Or how about when the elderly in nursing homes were only permitted to see their loved ones through glass. Too many people never got to see or touch their loved ones again. Governor DeSantis has made sure that never happens again in his state.
Recently Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted about a new law in Florida that took effect on July 1, that makes sure those things never happen again, at least in Florida. DeSantis tweeted: “Under our new law, never again will Florida families be denied the right to visit a loved one in the hospital. This is now the way of the land.”
The law is called the No Patient Left Alone Act. This act, DeSantis said, “ensures that Florida families have a fundamental right to visit their loved ones receiving care in a Florida Hospital, hospices and long-term care facilities.”
DeSantis went on to explain that those facilities are now banned from requiring visitors to show proof of a covid vaccination. They are also banned from prohibiting hugging between loved ones. DeSantis points out how, during the pandemic, “they would actually police this,” saying “well you can go in but you can’t give your wife a hug or you can’t give your kid a hug.” He followed by exclaiming “give me a break.”
North Carolina also has a No Patient Left Alone Act that Governor Cooper signed into law during the pandemic.
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The fact that people were forced to let their loved ones die alone, or that people had to be without their loved ones while they were dying, was one of the most torturous aspects of the pandemic. To have to say goodbye over Zoom was ridiculous. Do you think all states should pass laws like Florida and North Carolina have? Should it be federal law?
