Canadian journalist flees lockdown by vacationing in Florida — then complains about freedom, lack of COVID restrictions

Canadian journalist Josh Freed published an essay on Saturday unironically complaining about a lack of COVID restrictions in Florida after visiting the Sunshine State for vacation.

Writing in the Montreal Gazette, Freed explained that he and his wife recently “fled Quebec for a week” — likening himself, in response to harsh lockdown measures in Quebec, to a “refugee” — and jetted off to Florida.

Landing in Florida, Freed said, was like arriving on “another planet.” He described Florida as “Cowboyland, where you barely know COVID is happening,” which he called “lunacy by Canadian standards.”

“Stores and supermarkets don’t require masks but some cashiers and customers wear them, though often under their nose or chin — Florida-style,” Freed observed. “Restaurants are fully open and peeking into some, they’re mobbed. Waiters can choose whether to wear masks, and at least half don’t. In ever-friendly America, some customers even shake hands with their waiters before leaving, to say: ‘Thanks, I’ll have some germs for dessert.'”

Freed even took issue with Florida media, which he complained were not giving sufficient attention to COVID.

“You can see the difference in the media, too. In Quebec, COVID totally dominates the news, because there’s almost nothing else happening,” Freed wrote. “In Florida, it’s the reverse.”- READ MORE