Florida governor refuses to impose new lockdown as COVID cases explode

At a news conference on Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) closed the door on the possibility of imposing another stay-at-home order or similar measure — even as a new outbreak of COVID-19 in his state is causing a spike in cases.

"'We’re not rolling back,' DeSantis said during a news conference when asked whether he would consider stopping some reopening efforts. 'The reason we did the mitigation was to protect the hospital system,'" reported Kirby Wilson and Lawrence Mower.

"DeSantis said the recent rise in the number of cases and the rate of positive cases can be attributed to a change in the state’s testing strategy," said the report. "The strategy is two-pronged: health officials conduct targeted testing of people who spend lots of time in close proximity with one another. At the same time, the state has made it easier for the largely asymptomatic general public to get screened. For now, the focus of health officials should remain on vulnerable populations like nursing homes, DeSantis argued."

"On Tuesday, Florida reported 2,783 new coronavirus cases, more than it has ever recorded in a single day," said the report. "It was the fourth time in six days that the state reported a record number of cases."

DeSantis has broadly come under fire for his initial reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, dragging his feet on shutting down beaches and imposing a lockdown. One former state health official, Rebekah Jones, says she was fired to keep data about the spread of the virus quiet, an allegation DeSantis denies.

The public safety measures in Florida are facing renewed scrutiny, as Republicans look to shift the key functions of the President Donald Trump's renominating convention to Jacksonville after a feud with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper over the logistics of holding the convention in Charlotte.