Florida breaks single-day coronavirus death toll record, still has no mask mandate
Florida's coronavirus problem keeps getting worse.
The state reported its highest-ever single-day death toll on Thursday, with 156 people reported dead from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The numbers have Miami, recently called the "new epicenter of the pandemic," considering mandatory lockdowns, but Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) doesn't seem inclined to push many statewide restrictions at all.
Thursday marked the second time this week Florida broke its coronavirus death toll record, with 132 people reported dead on Tuesday. The state's death toll now sits at 4,677. A total of 13,965 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past day as well, putting Florida's total case numbers at 315,775.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Thursday he was planning to meet with business leaders to weigh "the possibility of a future lockdown" if these numbers don't improve soon, the Miami Herald reports. Suarez specifically raised concerns about hospitals and ICU beds filling up. Yet the state as a whole still has relatively relaxed social distancing guidelines, and no mandatory mask order, putting it behind the restrictive measures New York took to eventually cut its massive coronavirus spread.
