Infections still trend downward in Florida
Florida on Tuesday linked another 219 deaths to COVID-19, bringing the state’s pandemic toll to nearly 9,900 fatalities.
The state has reported a daily average of 172 deaths from the disease over the past week, one of the worst periods so far, according to the latest data.
But there were two positive signs in the Department of Health’s new summary: The testing positivity rate remained under 10%, and the number of new infections was under 4,000. This continued a downward trend since last month.
The state posted 3,838 new confirmed cases, up from Monday’s 2,678 new cases. That was the lowest number since June 17, according to the official statistics. For most of July, Florida posted over 10,000 cases per day. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday highlighted a report in TheHill.com that framed the recent numbers as “a welcome reprieve from the devastating rates of coronavirus infections the Sunshine State has recorded over the summer.”
The daily totals for new cases and deaths reflect results of testing and death reports compiled over days and weeks.
Officials reported a drop-off in the number of COVID-19 test results in recent days — this has contributed to the decline in new infections. From Wednesday to Friday, there was an average of 87,735 results per day, and from Saturday to Monday, there was an average of 51,420 results.
The daily positivity rate of 7.9%, reported Tuesday, was a continuation of the lower numbers seen in the past few weeks.
three-hour hearing ended with the judge rejecting the plaintiffs’ call for a temporary order to permit them to once again serve wine, beer and other drinks to customers.
Currently, restaurants that serve alcohol are allowed to operate with restrictions as long as most of their business comes from the sale of food. But bars that don’t have kitchens are out of luck until the coronavirus threat passes and the state and county’s executive orders are lifted.
“We’ve all been ready just to have a chance to reopen,” said James Colunga, owner of Johnsons Fort Lauderdale in Wilton Manors. “Opening at 50 percent capacity isn’t going to make us rich and drive around in Lamborghinis, but it will let us start to pay our bills.”
Bar owner after owner testified that the forced closures have left them faced with the real possibility of going out of business before the end of October.
Their attorney, Alex Arreaza, accused state officials of hypocrisy in allowing theme parks like Disney and Universal Studios to operate, pushing for students to return to classrooms, but balking at the threat posed by consenting adults consuming alcohol at” a neighborhood pub.
“If the governor had his way, classrooms across the state would be full and barrooms would be empty,” he said. “Why is one considered a coronavirus threat while the other is not?”
Frink sympathized with the bar owners and their need to make a living, but the state has the right to limit commercial activity when public health is at risk, he ruled. “The infringement is rationally related to the public health need based on the pandemic,” Frink said.
But the ruling leaves the door open for the bar owners to make their case as their lawsuit moves forward, assuming the restrictions last that long.
Throughout the state, business owners and citizens have gone to court to challenge closures and mask mandates, but so far, the courts have sided with the restrictions.
“We do not have a constitutional right to infect others,” Circuit Court Judge John Kastrenakes said in late July when he upheld Palm Beach County’s mandatory mask order.
In June, a Broward judge backed a hospital’s bid to limit hospital visits, finding that a patient’s right to have family at her side was less important than the harm that would follow if coronavirus were to spread through the building.
And a judge in Tallahassee rejected a challenge to Leon County’s mask mandate, setting up an appeal that is still pending.
A spokeswoman for Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation said Monday it’s still uncertain when bars and breweries can again serve alcohol for onsite consumption.
This news article was supplemented with information from the News Service of Florida.