Florida health officials report nearly 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 [View all]

[TomCADem]

Source: Click Orlando

After Friday’s report from the Florida Department of Health, data shows that cases are indeed on the rise in Florida.

Cases have seen a gradual increase over the last four days. But it’s not only cases seeing an increase, deaths and hospitalizations are also trending upward.

The jump in cases come as President Donald Trump says he wants to try and hold a campaign rally in Florida on Saturday “if we have enough time to put it together.” Vice President Mike Pence will be in the Sunshine State Saturday campaigning for the president ahead of the election.

* * *
The Florida Department of Health on Friday reported 118 people have recently died from COVID-19. So far, 15,372 deaths across the state have been related to the coronavirus, a number that includes 186 non-resident deaths in Florida.

Read more: https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/10/09/florida-health-officials-report-just-over-2000-new-cases-of-covid-19/

---

The race is to get Florida to vote based on DeSantis's reopening before the increased cases and deaths begin to overwhelm Florida.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-governor-ron-desantis-lifts-coronavirus-restaurant-restrictions-statewide/

Florida lifts all coronavirus restaurant restrictions despite persistent cases

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday lifted all restrictions on businesses statewide, pushing the state, which has long been a coronavirus hotspot, into its "phase three" of reopening. Florida has more than 695,000 COVID-19 cases and a 13.38% testing positivity rate, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The governor announced an executive order allowing all restaurants and bars to operate at 100% capacity. In addition to lifting health restrictions on businesses, DeSantis said he is banning cities and counties from fining people who do not social distance or wear face masks — essentially eliminating all local mask mandates.

"We are today moving into initially called phase three. What that will mean for the restaurants, there will not be limitations," said DeSantis. "As an act of executive grace, all fines and penalties that have been applied against individuals are suspended."

* * *
The governor said he wants the state to fully reopen, including bars and restaurants at full capacity, with "limited social distancing protocols." The order does not prevent businesses from enforcing mask-wearing for customers.