More than 23,000 Floridians tested positive for coronavirus in a single day over the weekend.
According to the
Florida Hospital Association, 23,903 residents tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. That topped the previous one-day record (set the day before) of 22,783 positive tests.
Hospitalizations also hit a new high. 13,747 Floridians were in the hospital with complications from coronavirus on Saturday. Prior to this weekend, that number had never climbed higher than 13,000.
The Florida Department of Health announced a
record-breaking number of weekly cases last week, with over 150,000 Floridians reportedly infected. That week ended on Thursday, before the back-to-back days of record-breaking numbers, so it's likely that the numbers for this week will be even worse.
The spike in cases comes as children in Florida return to school in-person. State leaders have barred local school districts from taking precautions to slow the spread of coronavirus,
threatening funding of any district that requires students to wear masks.
The state Department of Education went so far as to send saber-rattling letters to districts with mandates, threatening to strip the districts of funds equivalent to their superintendent and school board salaries.
This last move prompted the federal government to get involved, telling local school districts that
they would allocate funds directly to them and shaming state leaders for their anti-science positions.
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