A deserted beach is seen before the July 4 holiday weekend in Miami Beach, Miami on July 3, 2020.
CHANDAN KHANNA
Florida reported at least 11,445 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, the state’s highest number of daily cases so far, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health.
The virus has infected more than 190,000 people in the state, and at least 3,700 people have died. New cases in Florida have increased 67% based on a seven-day average.
Florida reported Saturday that 14.1% of those tested for the virus were positive, well above the 5% threshold that the World Health Organization recommends as a safe level for governments to reopen their businesses. Those who test positive in Florida tend to be younger, with an average age of 35 as of Saturday.
Although deaths from the virus in Florida have remained on a downward trajectory, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams cautioned that the deaths delay new cases and that a clearer picture may not emerge for two weeks or more.
Even when Florida reports record numbers of cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he will not close business again and has repeatedly refused to order a state-level mask mandate to slow the spread of the virus, although the governor has indicated that Florida has not will move forward with its reopening plan for now.
Florida comprises about 20% of new cases in the U.S., which are skyrocketing across the southern and western United States. The nation has reported more than 52,000 new cases as of Friday, the third consecutive day the number has exceeded 50,000. White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci warned this week that new cases could exceed 100,000 a day.
Local governments in Florida are taking more aggressive measures. Miami-Dade and Broward counties announced they would close the beaches for the July 4 holiday weekend. Miami-Dade, Florida’s most populous county, also imposed a nightly curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice and will close some companies that reopened in June.
“This curfew is aimed at preventing people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has shown that it is spreading the virus rapidly,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez said in a statement.
Miami-Dade and Broward have also announced orders requiring people to wear face masks in public.
Vice President Mike Pence, who visited Tampa on Thursday, praised the Florida governor for his “innovative” response to the pandemic and said Florida is in a “much better place” to combat the current outbreak. Pence postponed campaign events in Florida due to the increase in positive cases there. The Trump administration has rejected calls for the federal government to order the use of masks across the country.
The Republican National Convention is still scheduled in Jacksonville, Florida, in late August, although Jacksonville fundraisers have found that donor money is on hold due to concerns about the increase in coronavirus cases.
Infectious disease specialist Aileen Marty warned Friday that Florida was “going a million miles an hour in the wrong direction” to face the pandemic, saying residents are not following public health guidelines to curb the spread .
“It is absolutely the saddest, most unnecessary situation we find ourselves in,” Marty said in an interview with “CBS This Morning.” “And it’s driven by behavior.”
The United States has reported more than 2.7 million infections since the pandemic hit the nation and at least 129,509 deaths.
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