Florida, one of the eight states with the most COVID-19 cases, is the only one in that group that hasn't issued a statewide stay-at-home order.
JUPITER, Fla. ― Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to issue a statewide “stay-at-home” order to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus because the disease has not hit many areas of the state, he said.
As of Tuesday night, 29 of Florida’s 67 counties had 10 or fewer cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. In 13 largely rural and poor counties — mostly in the northern part of the state between Gainesville and Tallahassee — no cases had been reported to the state health department. Story continues“I would be doing a stay-at-home order” across the state, said Dr. Leslie Beitsch, chairman of the behavioral sciences and social medicine department at Florida State University’s College of Medicine. “It tells people this is serious, and we are doing something unprecedented.”
As of Tuesday night, just 55 people have been tested in the county and no COVID-19 cases had been confirmed. According to the Florida health department, only people who have had close contact with a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 and have a fever, cough and/or shortness of breath can be tested.
Florida’s large senior population, the age group hit hardest by COVID-19, is another reason to go to a statewide lockdown, Levine added. A stay-at-home order would signal to people, even in counties with few or no cases, that people need to change their normal behavior.
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