A waiter wears a protective mask and gloves while pouring wine | Photo by Lynne Sladky / AP
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered bars to stop selling alcohol on the spot, as the state’s daily coronavirus load increased more than 55 percent overnight.
Florida reported 8,933 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, breaking the previous record of 5,463 on June 23.
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“Effective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation suspends local alcohol consumption in bars across the state,” Secretary Halsey Beshears tweeted minutes after the new numbers were released. Stores can still sell drinks to go.
DeSantis, a Republican, had allowed most Florida bars to open with limited seating on June 3. Now, with the number of positive cases on the rise, he has teamed up with governors in Texas and Arizona to lower the limits of meetings where the virus could spread.
Florida, an electoral battleground and a must-have state for President Donald Trump, is preparing to host major events for the Republican National Committee in Jacksonville in August.
DeSantis is scheduled for a briefing at 2 pm Friday in Fort Myers.
