Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was one of the first governors to relax COVID rules and restrictions in his state, doubled-down on his opposition to mask requirements for children during a roundtable discussion with experts Monday, Fox News reported.

“I think our fear is is that seeing some of those rumblings, that there be an attempt from the federal level or even some of these organizations to try to push for mandatory masking of school children. And so our view is that this should absolutely not be imposed. It should not be mandated,” DeSantis commented.

DeSantis’s press secretary Christina Pushaw suggested to Fox News that the governor will not implement the CDC’s mask guidance reversal in Florida, like Iowa and Nebraska, because it lacks sound scientific justification.

“It isn’t based in science. There is no indication that areas with mask mandates have performed any better than areas without mask mandates. In fact, this policy could actually backfire,” Pushaw said.