Florida Commissioner Hospitalized With COVID-19 Days After Voting ‘No’ On Mask Mandate

St. Johns County Commissioner Paul Waldron has been hospitalized and is in “critical condition” after contracting COVID-19, according to his daughter.

Ashley Waldron Zapata shared the information on Facebook, which appeared on Waldron’s Facebook page on Thursday.

“My daddy, Paul Waldron, was diagnosed with the COVID virus,” she wrote. “Due to complications from the virus, he went into septic shock and has many organs struggling. He is currently in the most critical of conditions. … Please keep your family safe and pray for mine.”

“I’m terribly worried about … the condition he’s in, and I’m praying for him,” said Commissioner Henry Dean on Thursday. “I consider him a close personal friend as well as a fellow commissioner.”

Just days before Waldron was rushed to the hospital, Waldron voted against enacting a mask mandate for indoor spaces.

After discussing it for hours, only one county commissioner, Henry Dean, wanted a mandatory indoor mask policy. The other four did not second the motion, reports News4Jax.

Commissioners also voted 2-3 against requiring county employees to wear face coverings.

Here is 3-2 vote against mandate for masks in St. John’s county Florida on June 30, 2020. Commissioner Waldron voted no. Afterwords he went into to septic shock from COVID-19 and is in critical condition. pic.twitter.com/vAo7tki56M

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) July 11, 2020

“We are aware of Commissioner Waldron’s situation and are praying for his health and his family. We also ask each of you to pray for him and his family during this time,” St. Johns County Administrator Hunter Conrad wrote in a statement.

As of July 10, St. John’s has has a total of 1,730 confirmed cases and 10 related deaths. Currently, the county has the 24th highest number of cases amongst Florida’s 67 counties.