Gov. Ron DeSantis in a news conference Monday coordinated stay-at-home orders for four South Florida counties: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe.
According to DeSantis, building off the work of Miami Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, present at the conference, he signed an order that codified the set of rules for the counties to follow.
“We are always monitoring the hospital space, cause remembers flattening the curve is spreading this out enough so the hospital system can cope.” said DeSantis
According to DeSantis, around 30% of Florida’s hospital beds are currently available at the moment.
Field hospitals are being operated in Broward with testing sites such as the Hard Rock Stadium, where Florida National Guardsmen are administering tests.
DeSantis also touched on requesting the Army Corp of Engineers “if it comes to that” to ensure hospital beds would be available.
“Stay at home as much as possible,” said Mayor Gimenez, “We must act like we are all carrying the virus and stay safer at home.”
Separate from the stay-at-home executive order would be an additional order to allow retired first responders the opportunity to return to service in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
DeSantis will hold the order on the counties until mid-may at which, according to DeSantis, “We’ll see where we’re at.”
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, a Miami native, translated DeSantis’s announcement for Spanish-speakers in the audience.
DeSantis is facing criticism for not issuing a state-wide order from both medic professionals and in Tallahassee by political adversaries. This mounted on pressure from Florida’s journalists following barring Mary Ellen Klas, a Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Chief, from a COVID-19 press conference.
With the numbers rising, COVID-19 testing facilities elsewhere in the state are facing issues with supply due to overwhelming demand.
With a rapid need for additional COVID-19 testing, DeSantis touched on requesting various tests and the latest anecdotal treatments. According to DeSantis well as the deployment of several thousand 45-minute tests to South Florida and 500 to North Florida. A five-minute test by Abbot Labs is currently being negotiated for “strategic” deployment across the state, according to DeSantis.
