Photo for Headline Surfer / Gov. Ron DeSantis announces a statewide Stay at Home Order earlier today in Tallahassee, Florida.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
SANFORD, Fla. -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis today issued a statewide Stay at Home order for the Sunshine State that takes effect 12:01 a.m. Friday.
DeSantis told reporters he was issuing the order after consulting with President Donald Trump and White House advisers, who have stressed Americans need to stay home throughout April. The governor's order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
"Even though there are a lot places that have very low infection rates, it makes sense to make this move now," DeSantis explained.
The governor's order replaces piecemeal efforts throughout Florida to stop the spread of the dreaded virus, but orders in place at county and municipal levels are not uniform.
For example, Orange and Osceola counties have Stay At Home orders. Seminole County limits business capacity and social distancing and Volusia County stresses "personal responsibility" while keeping the beaches open, a decion that has met with controversy with Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry and others saying they should be closed. And just Wednesday night, the Daytona Beach City Commission enacted a night-time curfew.
According to the Associated Press, Florida's confirmed cases are approaching 7,000, with 86 deaths and almost 900 people hospitalized, and an outbreak model cited at the White House shows exponential growth in the coming weeks. More than 30 others states had already issued such orders a week or more ago.
However, scientists have warned that unless all the states adopt the Stay at Home option, the number of infections and subsequent deaths will rise exponentially and it will continues for months more.
The highly contagious virus that causes COVID-19 generally brings on mild or no symptoms, but it can cause serious illness, especially among older people, especially those with underlying respiratory and heart issues.
A University of Washington model projects the Sunshine State will see massive spikes in deaths and hospitalizations throughout the month with 100 daily deaths by mid-month and in excess of 175 deaths amassed by May 1.
The University of Washington model predicts 6,500-plus Floridians and more than 90,000 nationally will die by the first of June from the coronavirus.
DeSantis did not dispute the grim statistics forecasted when asked by media representatives earlier today at a press conference.
“This thing is really nasty,” Florida's governor said. “It’s something that’s caused a lot of harm to a lot of people.”
Over the next 10 weeks, between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die from the pandemic, President Donald Trump said at a White House press conference on Tuesday. Though today, Vice President Mike Pence said the worst could be over by June 1.
These are the latest coronavirus statistics:
• Florida: Total Cases - 6,955; Deaths: 7.
• United States: Total Cases - 205,438; Deaths: 4,528.
• Globally: Total Cases: 917,913; Total Deaths: 46,062.
And these are the most recent statistics for the three East Central Florida counties along the I-4 corridor:
• Volusia County (greater Daytona Beach): Total Cases: 80; Deaths: 1.
• Seminole County (greater Sanford): Total Cases: 109; Deaths: 0.
• Orange County (greater Orlando): Total Cases: 392; Deaths: 4.
The governor's Stay at Home Order provides exceptions for “essential services” such as going to the supermarket to buy food , getting medical supplies and dropping off/picking up prescriptions, hospital visits and working for crucial industries like grocery stores and pharmacies.
Media representatives covering stories or shooting videos or taking photos are also permitted to be out and about as part of their journalism assignments under the order.
Religious services in houses of worship are also permitted so long as social media distances are being followed, as are recreational activities such as fishing, hunting, walking, running, biking and swimming.
Headline Surfer reached out to Volusia County government as to whether the public beaches will remain open (cars already banned during the pandemic).
"Please standby as the county is reviewing the governor's 34-page executive order," Kevin Captain, interim community information director for Volusia County government responded in an email.
A social gathering in a public place is not an essential activity,” the governor's order stresses, adding, “Local jurisdictions shall ensure that groups of people greater than 10 are not permitted to congregate in any public place.”
What impact this has on whether the beaches are closed or allowed to stay open remains to be seen.
.