Florida man dresses as Grim Reaper, strolls beaches in protest of state reopening ‘prematurely’

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Florida residents are rushing to public beaches as the state relaxes stay-at-home orders, but one beachgoer is there not to soak up the sun but to send a sinister message.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, as part of efforts to begin easing measures intended to slow the spread of coronavirus, opened a handful of state beaches in April. Resident Daniel Uhlfelder, however, is concerned about the reopened beaches and activities ensuing on the sand.

In response, the Santa Rosa Beach is dressing as the Grim Reaper and roaming packed beaches to make a statement, the Miami Herald reported.

Uhfelder, a Miami native, said in a tweet that he would begin strolling the beach clad in black starting May 1 in protest of the openings. He worries that residents will take down their guards and hold mass gatherings that may lead to more coronavirus cases.

READ MORE: Florida governor gives blessing to reopen beaches after coronavirus shutdown

“Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely,” Uhfelder tweeted. “The answer is absolutely yes.”

CNN reported that Uhlfelder marched about the beaches, not speaking, with a face mask, to illustrate to the hundreds of beachgoers that they need to stay home or risk catching and spreading the deadly disease.

READ MORE: COVID-19 is ravaging one of the richest Black counties in the U.S.

“We aren’t at the point now where we have enough testing, enough data, enough preparation for what’s going to be coming to our state from all over the world from this pandemic,” he said in a CNN interview.

Florida currently has the most confirmed cases of southern states. The state has recorded 36,000 positive tests and 1,379 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.