Name: DeSantis: Florida schools will remain shut for rest of academic year
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DeSantis: Florida schools will remain shut for rest of academic year

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Florida’s public schools will remain shut for the remainder of the academic year, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday. TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s schools will remain shut for the remainder of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday. “It’s obviously not the ideal situation but given where we are in the school year, it seemed the best decision to go forward,” he said at a news conference at the Capitol. Advertisement The governor also released the names of long-term care and assisted living facilities where residents or staff test positive for coronavirus, ending a battle with news media outlets that had been seeking the information. Schools will continue to rely on “remote learning” with classes held online, the governor said. The decision shuts down spring sports and spring football practice, which was scheduled to begin April 27. DeSantis said the decision was also prompted in part by fears that parents wouldn’t send their children back to school anytime soon. “The last thing you want to do is force everyone to school and then have half the kids not show up,” he said. The Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, had on Tuesday called on DeSantis to extend the school shutdown through the end of the year, and DeSantis faced growing calls from local school board administrators to do the same. Florida universities had earlier announced they wouldn’t return to in-person classes for the remainder of the spring semester. Because of information provided by the Orange County Medical Examiner and confirmed by Orlando City Commissioner Bakari Burns, it’s known that an 82-year-old woman who lived in an Orlando nursing home on the list died of the virus. The list of 303 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities did not say how many cases each facility has had, nor whether the victims are staff or residents. It also did not list whether each of the facilities has had someone die of the disease. DeSantis said nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were required to inform the families of residents and staff if someone at the facility tested positive, but the Miami Herald has reported many families have remained in the dark as the disease has spread. Advertisement The Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and other news outlets had threatened to sue DeSantis’ administration to get the names of the facilities, after DeSantis refused for weeks to release the information. Even as he extended the school shutdown and stressed the importance of getting more tests with faster results, DeSantis is also eyeing how to restart the economy. On Monday, the governor’s task force on “reopening” Florida will start meeting daily, and DeSantis said he hoped for initial recommendations by the end of the week. Members of the task force will be revealed Monday, and the governor said they would include representatives from various industries, particularly small businesses, as well as elected officials such as county mayors from South Florida, the area hardest hit by COVID-19. Daily A daily update on the coronavirus crisis in Florida. You are now following this newsletter. “These are folks who have seen this from different angles, which I think is really helpful,” DeSantis said. The governor said Florida has tested more than 250,000 people and the rate of those infected was starting to dip. Advertisement “If you look at places like Palm Beach County, you’re starting to see the percent positive go down,” he said. Statewide, there are 25,492 confirmed cases, or 10.3 percent of all completed tests. As of Saturday evening, there were 748 deaths and 3,745 cumulative hospitalizations. In South Florida, though, the rates are higher, with 17 percent of tests in Miami-Dade County coming back positive; 12 percent in Broward County; and 13.5 percent in Palm Beach County. It’s an indicator the disease is more widespread than current testing is capturing, at least compared to the rest of the state. grorher@orlandosentinel.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most Read • Coronavirus Advertisement Advertisement

Florida’s public schools will remain shut for the remainder of the academic year, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday. TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s schools will remain shut for the remainder of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday. “It’s obviously not the ideal situation but given where we are in the school year, it seemed the best decision to go forward,” he said at a news conference at the Capitol. Advertisement The governor also released the names of long-term care and assisted living facilities where residents or staff test positive for...

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