Florida county sheriff warns he may introduce curfew amid rising COVID-19 cases

A Florida county sheriff signaled Friday that he could potentially impose a curfew in an attempt to take a “more aggressive” stance when it comes to policing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gregory Tony, the Broward County sheriff, said that his office would be “cutting out warnings” and may take a more serious approach like a curfew, according to a report from ABC News.

Tony noted that a curfew was more of a last resort than first option, saying that the county has “many good people … following the rules.”

Additionally, the sheriff pointed to an “increase in crime” as the main reason for the possible curfew.

Florida in recent weeks has become the epicenter for the coronavirus pandemic, repeatedly setting and breaking records for the number of daily new cases.

Florida — which was one of the first states to begin reopening its economy amid the pandemic — reported 13,965 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing its total number of cases to 315,775.

Despite the large spike in cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been adamant that he would not re-close nonessential businesses, though he has forced standalone bars to close.

“We’re open. We know who we need to protect. Most of the folks in those younger demographics, although we want them to be mindful of what’s going on, are just simply much much less at risk than the folks who are in those older age groups,” he said.