Guests required to wear masks because of the coronavirus pandemic stroll through the Disney Springs shopping, dining and entertainment complex, on June 16, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Florida has registered more than 15,000 new cases of coronavirus in a day, easily breaking a record for a US state previously held by California, according to official numbers published Sunday.
The total of 15,299 cases in the hard-hit southeastern state was up sharply, 47 percent above the previous day’s total, the Florida state health department reported.
The state also recorded a one-day toll of 45 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
Over five days, Florida has tallied 55,842 new cases.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (L) greets US President Donald Trump as he steps off Air Force One upon arrival at the Orlando Sanford International Airport, March 9, 2020, in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The previous one-day record for new cases had been held by California, with 11,694 cases registered on Wednesday, and before that by New York, with 11,571 cases reported on April 14.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, moved quickly to begin unwinding the state’s lockdown starting on May 4, before most other states.
In an unusually direct criticism, top US health official Anthony Fauci said Thursday that Florida had moved out of its lockdown before public health indicators justified such a move.
DeSantis contested that, saying his decision was based on the best data at the time.
Advertisement
In late June, in a partial reversal, DeSantis ordered bars to be re-closed, in an effort to curb the spread of the disease, but infection numbers continued to rise.
But the Florida governor has refused to require mask-wearing in public — a step some other southern governors have now taken — saying that was a matter for local officials to decide.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
