Sarah Mueller
Florida’s number of novel coronavirus cases is up 19 positive cases to 155 as the Department of Health released a new dashboard to the public.
The 19 new cases include 14 Florida residents and five non-residents. The state now has 131 residents and 18 non-residents inside the state who have tested positive for the disease, known as COVID-19. Six residents have been diagnosed and are isolated in other states. Four people in Florida have died of the novel coronavirus.
The new dashboard will be updated twice a day to provide more transparency, according to state officials. It gives viewers a map of where the cases are located and the number of cases in each county. Broward County tops the list with 38, while Miami-Dade county has 23. Palm Beach County comes behind them with eight. It also offers a breakdown of patient information by gender.
About 24% of people who tested had been traveling. Another 18% had contact with someone who has tested positive for novel coronavirus. About 30% of patients had both traveled and were in contact with someone who has COVID-19, and 27% of the cases are still under investigation.
Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state will establish a drive-thru testing operation in Broward County to help combat the novel coronavirus in what is becoming the virus’ epicenter in the state. Those tests will be free for a subset of the population.
“We’re going to work really hard to get this up and running as soon as possible,” DeSantis told reporters Sunday.
Other states have created pop-up testing sites with varying success. But by increasing access for testing, especially in a location outside of the hospital, medical professionals could offer dedicated assistance and reduce the potential spread of the virus.
DeSantis has activated the National Guard and the state is purchasing 625,000 testing kits. Most in-person court proceedings have been suspended for two weeks, although judges can choose to conduct some by video or phone where legally allowed.
The Governor has floated the idea of limiting restaurant capacity to 50% but is not convinced closing restaurants entirely would be necessary. But with Spring Break on the horizon, he said he is working with the Mayors of Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale to consider how to limit “massive gatherings” of college students at bars.
“To have people congregating in these bars or on these beaches like this I think undercuts our efforts to protect our vulnerable populations,” he said.
DeSantis expects more municipalities to follow suit.
“Florida’s not going to be a place where you’re going to be out till two in the morning with 500 people at some bar, at least that’s what we’re recommending,” DeSantis said.
Some large companies have been closing, limiting store hours or suspending operations. Publix, the state’s largest grocery store chain, announced that it would close its stores daily at 8 p.m. — three hours early for most. The company said that would give its employees more time to fully clean stores and restock shelves. Walmarts that were open 24 hours a day are now closing at 11 p.m.
Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have all announced they will be closed starting Monday. Disney is closing resorts beginning Friday. All major cruise ship lines have also suspended operations.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. The virus has infected more than 175,000 people worldwide and killed more than 6,500.
