FILE PHOTO: A paramedic dressed in personal protective equipment exits an ambulance at St. Petersburg General Hospital, where coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases are being treated, in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Octavio Jones
(Reuters) – Florida reported a record one-day increase in coronavirus deaths on Tuesday with 191 fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department.
Florida also reported 9,230 new cases, bringing its total infections to over 440,000, the second highest in the country behind California. Florida’s total death toll rose to 6,240, the ninth highest in the nation, according to a Reuters tally.
Despite the total number of cases more than doubling in the last month, the state was still welcoming tourists and most businesses other than bars remained open. While mayors in Miami and other hard-hit areas were requiring masks, Governor Ron DeSantis has resisted a statewide mandate on face coverings in public.
Just days after beginning a truncated coronavirus-delayed season, Major League Baseball ran into a serious obstacle on Monday with the postponement of scheduled games due to a COVID-19 outbreak among Miami Marlins players.
The surging cases in Florida also prompted President Donald Trump last week to cancel the Republican Party’s nominating convention events in Jacksonville in late August.
(Reporting by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Franklin Paul and David Gregorio)
