COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (March 2020) |
| 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Florida | |
|---|---|
 Florida counties with confirmed Covid-19 cases through March 12 (dark red denotes counties where deaths attributed to Covid-19 have occurred) | |
| Disease | Coronavirus |
| Virus strain | Covid-19 |
| Location | Florida |
| Index case | 1 March, 2020 |
This article details the viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S. state of Florida.
Timeline
Florida became the third state on March 1 to confirm its first coronavirus cases: one in Manatee County and one in Hillsborough County.[1] On March 3, Helen Ferre, the spokeswoman for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, announces a third presumptive positive case in Hillsborough County.[2][3]
On March 5, Governor Ron DeSantis reported a new case: an "elderly [man] with severe underlying [health] conditions" in Santa Rosa County who had recently travelled outside the United States.[4] The Department of Health announced three new cases late on March 6, two in Broward County and one in Lee County. Officials also announced two deaths.[5]
On March 9, nine new cases were announced, bringing the total cases from 14 to 23.[6][7] Princess Cruises terminated a planned stop of the Caribbean Princess cruise ship in Grand Cayman after it was discovered that two of its crew members had recently transferred from the Grand Princess in California. The cruise ship was ordered to anchor off the coast of Fort Lauderdale while its passengers and crew could be tested for coronavirus. Furthermore, a fourth Princess Cruises cruise ship, the Regal Princess, was placed on a "no sail order" off the Florida coast after it was discovered that two of its crew members had recently transferred from the Grand Princess in California.[8][9]
On March 10, the first case in Alachua County was confirmed.[10] On March 11, UF Health Shands Hospital confirmed they were treating their first patient with a case of coronavirus, but declined to say whether it was the same person who tested positive for the virus earlier in the week.[10]
Response from state universities
On March 10, the University of Florida (UF) Provost Joe Glover sent out a recommendation to UF professors to transition their classes online.[11][12] The following day, UF announced all its classes for the spring semester will be transitioned online by the following Monday, and encouraged students to return to their hometowns.[10]
On March 11, Florida State University announced that classes will be moved online from March 23 to April 5, with in-person classes expected to resume on April 6.[13]
Response from parks industry
On March 12, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts announced that the Walt Disney World Resort would close from March 15 to March 31. Universal Parks & Resorts also announced that Universal Orlando would close from March 15 until at least the end of the month.[14][15]
Government response
On March 1, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a public health emergency after two cases were confirmed in Manatee County and Hillsborough County.[16]
References
- ^ "Governor: Florida has first cases of coronaviruses". MESH. March 2, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
- ^ "Florida coronavirus update for Tuesday, March 3: Another 'presumptive positive' case in state reported". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "3rd Case of Coronavirus Infection Reported in Florida". Spectrum Bay News 9. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Robinson, Kevin (5 March 2020). "DeSantis: New presumptive positive case of coronavirus found in Santa Rosa County". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ Health, Florida Dept (March 6, 2020). ".@HealthyFla has announced 3 new presumptive positive Florida #COVID19 cases: 2 in Broward County that are isolated and 1 in Lee County that is deceased. A previously-announced case in Santa Rosa County is also deceased".
- ^ Llerena, Reinaldo. "Florida Department of Health announces 8 positive cases of COVID-19". 7 News Miami. WSVN-TVSunbeam Television Corp. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Florida Department of Health Announces New Positive COVID-19 Case in Florida". Florida Department of Health. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Another Princess cruise ship kept at sea pending virus tests". AP. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "UF coronavirus: classes required to move online; Shands hospital has first coronavirus case". The Alligator. March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ Rogers, Nicole (March 10, 2020). "UF recommends professors move classes online; this left many unanswered questions". WCJB-TV. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "March 9 Update - COVID-19 and Online Classes". University of Florida. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ "FSU shifts from in person classes to remote classes starting march 23 for two weeks". March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Alexander, Bryan. "Coronavirus closes Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Universal Orlando Resort". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- ^ Watson, R. T. (2020-03-13). "Disney to Close U.S. and Paris Resorts Temporarily as Coronavirus Spurs Cancellations". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- ^ Lapin, Tamar (2 March 2020). "Florida declares public health emergency after two coronavirus cases". The New York Post. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
