As new figures from the CDC show that 38% of coronavirus hospitalizations are for persons aged 20 to 54, Governor Ron DeSantis abruptly changed course and shut down Florida's beaches. [Those figures do not show which hospitalizations were precautionary rather than urgent.]
“The message I think for spring breakers is that the party’s over in Florida, you're not going to be able to congregate on any beach in the state,” DeSantis told Fox News. “Many of the hot spots that people like to go to, whether it's Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Clearwater Beach, are closed entirely for the time being.”
“The bars are closed so you’re not going to have a place to congregate there, so we would just tell those folks maybe come back next year when things are better, but that is not what we’re looking for here in the state of Florida,” he continued. “Every single beach will have to abide by the CDC guidelines, no more than 10 people, you have to be socially distant, not every beach is going to remain open, but some will.”
--Reuters
What, me worry?
--Associated Press
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is refusing to order Florida's beaches closed, denying that young spring break revelers are causing a public health threat by excessive crowding.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-governor-refuses-shut-down-beaches-amid-spread-coronavirus-n1162226From NBC News:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B911oL7ngp4/
The governor said that crowding is "not uniform throughout the state that you’re seeing massive crowds at beaches," despite videos of gatherings in Tampa Bay.
He instead signed an order that would limit parties on the beach to 10 people per group and forced any businesses authorized to sell liquor to reduce occupancy by half, DeSantis told reporters Tuesday. The governor said that local governments can make their own decisions, but that his order would follow the the latest guidance issued by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
"What we’re going to be doing for the statewide floor for beaches, we’re going to be applying the CDC guidance of no group on a beach more than 10 and you have to have distance apart if you’re going to be out there," DeSantis said. "So that applies statewide."
DeSantis said it's "not uniform throughout the state that you’re seeing massive crowds at beaches," despite reports of large gatherings on Tampa Bay area beaches.
A video posted Monday by NBC affiliate WFLA showed people packed together on Clearwater Beach.
WFLA NEWS ✔ @WFLA Clearwater Beach, Florida is PACKED today despite "social distancing" recommendations. https://bit.ly/38RaaKV
But, the city of Clearwater said Tuesday it was shutting down Pier 60 and its spring break camps "out of an abundance of caution." Still, its shoreline remain open to the public.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman also said nothing about beach closures, though he repeated DeSantis' order.
The state has 192 confirmed cases of coronavirus and five deaths in the outbreak.
Mayors of both Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, two of the most popular beach destinations in the state, issued orders to close their beaches on Sunday.
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