Florida reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases on Thursday, with 1,419 new cases from Wednesday, just as Phase 2 reopening is to take effect on Friday.
On Wednesday, DeSantis announced Phase 2 will begin Friday, opening movie theaters, bars and personal service businesses with some restrictions.
Tuesday saw an increase in 1,300 new cases, another record high. Florida overall has a new total of 60,183 cases, according to the Florida Department of Health.
In Central Florida, there are 6,295 positive COVID-19 cases, a one-day jump of 114. The death toll also increased Thursday with Orange county adding two new deaths to the total of 43 in Orange County.
Florida recorded 2,607 deaths Thursday with a death count increase of 41 from just one day earlier on Wednesday. The COVID-19 deaths are from Bay, Broward, Collier, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties.
Many are beginning to wonder if the reopening of the state has been too soon. One Twitter user angrily commented under DeSantis' tweet about thanking President Donald Trump, FEMA and first responders about their handling of the pandemic.
You are dismal
— Greg Proops (@GregProops) June 3, 2020
Florida coronavirus cases surge past 58,700, the biggest daily gain in six weeks
While the number of deaths from coronavirus in Florida are not only from the elderly, they do make up most of the death-count. As of Thursday, there have been 1,332 deaths of staff or residents of long term health care facilities up 26 on a single day count from Wednesday.
In his Wednesday press conference at Universal City Walk, DeSantis announced that Florida had conducted over one million coronavirus tests and that there were zero deaths from Covid-19 positive patients under the age of 18. DeSantis also said that the number of Covid-19 positive patients in the intensive care unit and on ventilators was down.
While all Florida counties are going ahead to reopen further on Friday despite the largest daily increase in positive cases, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach will have to submit a written request to the governor in order to enter Phase 2.
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