Story at a glance
- Florida was one of the early states to begin reopening despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
- The state’s case count has been increasing since social distancing measures were relaxed in May.
- The Miami Herald Reports the increase cannot be attributed solely to increased testing.
Florida health officials confirmed 2,783 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a record high for the state, bringing the total number of cases in the state to more than 80,000.
Coronavirus cases have been trending upwards in the Sunshine State since it began to reopen in May. Most of the state is entering phase 2 of reopening, allowing bars, gyms, vacation rentals and movie theaters to open at limited capacity, but the city of Miami has hit pause after two consecutive days of more than 2,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.
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Florida is one of 22 states in which new positive coronavirus cases have increased over the past 14 days, according to an ABC News analysis of New York Times data. And while testing has also increased, a Miami Herald analysis found that the upward trend as of June 3 could not be attributed solely to increases in testing.
Florida’s Department of Health (DOH) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have been publicly criticized by a former employee, who claims she was pressured to underreport coronavirus numbers. The DOH refutes her claim.
DeSantis has defended his decision to reopen the state and even invited the Republican National Convention to Jacksonville, citing “a relatively minor outbreak” in the area. Duval County has reported almost 2,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 50 deaths.
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