TAMPA, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis was at Tampa General Hospital Monday morning, where he held a news conference on the latest regarding the coronavirus crisis.
DeSantis said that parts of the state are now “on the other side” of the coronavirus outbreak, and he will soon announce whether he will lift restrictions that have shuttered much of the state’s economy.
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During Tuesday’s press briefing, the governor also stressed that the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak are much different in South Florida than in other parts of the state, like the Panhandle, so returning to normal might come at different times in certain areas.
He said phase one of the reopening will be a “baby step” and that all decisions will be “methodical and based on data.”
The governor said at a Sunday briefing in Orlando that the “hysteria” in the early weeks of the outbreak has not materialized in Florida, despite dire speculation there would be many more deaths than the 1,000 the state has recorded thus far.
As of Monday, the state had more than 32,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19.