Pence to visit Florida Wednesday amid state’s reopening

Vice President Pence announced Saturday that he will travel to Florida next week to meet with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) about the state’s reopening process amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple reports.

Pence’s office confirmed, according to the reports, that the vice president will also deliver personal protective equipment (PPE) to a nursing home in Orlando, Fla., and participate in a roundtable with leaders in the hospitality and tourism industries.

The vice president’s office said Saturday that the visit to nursing homes is part of an initiative to deliver the critical medical supplies to over 15,000 nursing homes across the U.S, The Associated Press reported.

This will not be the first time Pence has delivered PPE to nursing homes.

Earlier this month, he delivered the supplies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to a nursing home in Alexandria, Va., outside of Washington, D.C.

On Friday, DeSantis announced that gyms in Florida would be allowed to reopen Monday so long as they employ proper social distancing and sanitation efforts. DeSantis said the state will enter a “full” phase one of his three-phase plan to reopen Monday.

Restaurants and retailers will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity after operating at 25 percent capacity in the initial reopening process. Movie theaters across the state will remain closed.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.