State sees 49 additional virus fatalities

Florida’s death toll reaches 2,413; cases increase to 54,497

Florida on Friday reported another 49 coronavirus fatalities for a new death toll of 2,413. The Florida Department of Health also reported another 1,212 cases for a total of 54,497.

In Central Florida, Friday’s update added 137 cases for a total of 5,769. That included 43 new cases in Orange for a total of 1,945; 38 in Polk for 977; 16 in Volusia for 725; 14 in Osceola for 688; seven in Seminole for 481; eight in Brevard for 409; and 11 in Lake for 291. With no new reported cases in Sumter, the case total there stands at 253.

The number of tests administered since the outbreak began is 984,160, with 94% of those negative.

Two new deaths were reported in Central Florida on Friday, a 50-year-old woman in Orange and an 89-year-old man in Polk.

The region’s toll now stands at 208, with the most in Polk County at 55, followed by Orange with 41, Volusia with 37, Osceola with 19, Sumter with 17, Lake with 15, and Seminole and Brevard with 12 each.

South Florida, home to 29% of Florida’s population, remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for 56% of cases with 30,381 total. That number includes 574 new cases reported Friday among Miami-Dade (17,641),

Broward (6,975), and Palm Beach (5,765) counties.

South Florida also has the most deaths at 1,328, 55% of the state’s fatalities. The three-county region logged an additional 25 reported deaths Friday.

Nationwide, there are over 1.7 million cases with over 102,000 deaths. Worldwide, there are over 5.8 million cases and over 362,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.

Some Universal Orlando hotels will reopen Tuesday: Several Universal Orlando hotels are reopening Tuesday, and they will give guests first dibs on visiting theme parks before the attractions officially open to the general public.

Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, as well as the Volcano Bay water park, reopen June 5 from the coronavirus pandemic. The first hotel guests will get admission into the parks two days earlier, on Wednesday or Thursday, Universal said in a new update.

The Universal hotels opening back up Tuesday are: Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites.

The hotels are adding new safety rules for their reopening, Universal said.

Guests, employees and vendors are required to cover their faces in the hotels’ public areas.

Getting into the hotel will require temperature checks. Guests with temperatures of 100.4 degrees or higher cannot enter without medical clearance. Employees aren’t allowed to work if they have fevers.

Universal described “contactless experiences for guests, including hotel texting-services, express checkout and contactless room deliveries,” according to the press release.

The hotels’ food and beverage services could be limited. You can also expect to see more hand sanitizers in the elevator landings and the lobbies.

Employees will take more cleaning precautions of guest rooms and the public areas. Universal says the “frequent cleaning” will include everything from telephones, remote controls, door handles, light switches, elevators, to tabletops.

“Plans for Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites will be announced at a later time,” Universal said in the release. “Guests who have booked reservations at these two hotels through Universal Orlando or Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations will be contacted to modify their reservation if it has been affected.”

Meanwhile, some businesses and restaurants at Universal CityWalk reopened earlier in May.