Name: South Florida may stay locked down longer than other areas
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South Florida may stay locked down longer than other areas

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Governor Ron DeSantis says South Florida's next phase of the coronavirus pandemic may look different than rest of state. Getting back to some semblance of normalcy might take longer in South Florida than in other parts of the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday. Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties have of coronavirus cases — more than 14,000 of Florida’s 24,753 cases as of Friday evening. Advertisement In some less populated areas, the disease spread has been tiny. Just west of Palm Beach in Hendry County, with its population of just over 42,000, there have been only 28 cases. In Lake County, north and west of Orlando, 187 cases have been reported (the population there is about 367,000). “This is affecting the whole state,” DeSantis said. “But it’s not something that is affecting the whole state uniformly.” South Florida saw a stronger impact than the rest of the state largely because of travel, he said. Fort Lauderdale’s airport was the busiest in the state for , deemed among the hot spots for the virus. The governor did not address the potential spread in Orange County, with its Orlando-area theme parks drawing tourists from around the world, or Hillsborough, which also houses theme parks, an international airport and a busy seaport in the Tampa area. Both can attract and expose residents and non-residents to large crowds, but each has so far experienced a moderate number of cases compared to South Florida: 1,135 in Orange and 917 in Hillsborough. DeSantis was unwilling to signal a date to begin imposed earlier this month advising Florida residents to shelter in place to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. He did applaud President Trump’s outline for in phases. “It’s a pretty good baseline,” he said. He promised to work with county mayors and other local elected officials to help decide what restrictions could be lifted, where and when. The governor’s comments came during a news conference announcing the opening of two new walk-up COVID-19 testing sites in Broward County. Advertisement The Broward sites, one at Mitchell Moore Park in Pompano Beach and the other at the Urban League of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, are for those exhibiting symptoms consistent with the disease caused by the coronavirus — fever, a dry cough, fatigue and in some cases runny nose and congestion. People who have been exposed to someone who tested positive can also request a test. The walk-up community sites are needed, DeSantis said, because people without cars or transportation can’t get to one of the drive-thru testing sites for the new coronavirus. “We wanted to see where some of the gaps were in testing access,” he said. The Urban League is at the western end of Fort Lauderdale’s Sistrunk corridor, a neighborhood traditionally seen as neglected when it comes to public services. “This community is usually underserved,” said Broward County Mayor Dale Holness, adding that the state is working hard to “flatten the curve” of coronavirus cases and has to consider the right time to reopen businesses, beaches, parks and schools. “Our economy cannot sustain where we are at this time,” he said. These new walk-up sites, run with the assistance of the National Guard, Broward Sheriff’s Office and state Department of Health, will each serve 200 residents per day. The governor said anyone with symptoms can either walk to the testing sites, open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, or call for an appointment, 954-412-7300. Mitchell Moore Park is at 901 NW 10th St. in Pompano Beach. The Fort Lauderdale site opens Saturday at the Urban League, 560 NW 27th Ave. Advertisement People who show up will be given face masks and told to stand 6 feet apart in line, officials said. As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. You are now following this newsletter. In addition to the two walk-up sites, Broward Health is re-opening its mobile COVID-19 testing site at the Festival Marketplace, 2900 W. Sample Road in Pompano Beach. The site will re-open on Monday. It is not a walk-up site. Patients must request an appointment by calling 954-320-5730. Also at the news conference, DeSantis announced the addition of 100 new computer servers to help handle the being filed online for Florida. In 2019, DeSantis said, the state processed 350,000 applications for unemployment. Jobless claims from March 22 through April 11 passed that figure by more than 50,000, still a fraction of the people trying to file. Florida’s processed only 33,623 of the estimated 850,000 applications it’s received since the coronavirus crisis began DeSantis said the state is waiving the requirements for people seeking unemployment assistance to look for work and to recertify their eligibility every two weeks. “We want to make sure the folks who have been displaced can get back on their feet as quickly as possible,” he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next Story Advertisement Advertisement

Governor Ron DeSantis says South Florida's next phase of the coronavirus pandemic may look different than rest of state. Getting back to some semblance of normalcy might take longer in South Florida than in other parts of the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday. Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties have of coronavirus cases — more than 14,000 of Florida’s 24,753 cases as of Friday evening. Advertisement In some less populated areas, the disease spread has been tiny. Just west of Palm Beach in Hendry County, with its population of just over 42,000, there have been only 28 cases. In...

South Florida may stay locked down longer than other areas

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