St. Petersburg. Florida registered more new coronavirus infections than any other U.S. state on Sunday. According to the local statistics agency, 15,299 people tested positive, significantly more than previous records in California and New York four days ago and on April 15, respectively. This ended a week full of sad highs for Florida. The total number of cases in the state in the far southeast of the United States was just under 270,000. This week alone, 514 people died, 45 of them on Sunday.
Florida lifted many restrictions on businesses in May and June to get the economy going again. The number of virus tests has now increased significantly, but the proportion of positive results is increasing even faster. If less than five percent of the virus tests were positive in June, the daily average was already more than 19 percent in the past week.
Concern about Trump nomination party convention in Florida
Despite rising rates, Governor Ron DeSantis insists that schools reopen in August. He argues that it has not been proven that children play a role in the spread of the pandemic in counties where schools are back to teaching. “Fortunately, the corona risk for students is unimaginably low,” he said.
Health experts worry because Republicans plan to hold their nominee convention for President Donald Trump in Florida in August. They warn that the virus spreads quickly in large crowds.
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