Report: Florida may not be safe to reopen until mid-June
A woman and child are pictured in protective masks on a street in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 4, 2020. (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. - New data shows that the Sunshine State may not be ready to reopen until June.
According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), after June 14 "relaxing social distancing may be possible with containment strategies that include testing, contact tracing, isolation, and limiting gathering size."
A statewide stay-at-home order remains in place until April 30. Governor Ron DeSantis has been meeting with a Task Force to discuss plans on how and when to reopen the state.
President Donald Trump recently gave governors a road map for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, laying out "a phased and deliberate approach" to restoring normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases.
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Places with declining infections and strong testing would begin a three-phase gradual reopening of businesses and schools.
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In all phases, individuals and businesses will be required to follow guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control. The guidelines also include general recommendations to businesses as they plan for potential reopenings, suggesting temperature-taking, rapid COVID-19 testing and widespread disinfection efforts in workplaces. (You can read the entire plan HERE)
A new poll indicates that a majority of Floridians think it's too soon to begin loosening social distancing guidelines.
Quinnipiac University's latest poll says 72% of Florida voters feel the state should not loosen social distancing rules by the end of April, while 22% thought the move would be appropriate.
As of 8:00 a.m. Saturday, the Florida Department of Health reported that there are 30,533 cases of COVID-19 in Florida with a death toll of 1,046.
For the latest updates on the coronavirus, go HERE.