Florida hits record with more than 9,500 new COVID-19 cases

Florida announced more than 9,500 new cases of coronavirus Saturday, marking a new daily record for the state, a day after Gov. Ron DeSantis again resisted requiring face masks.

The state Department of Health revealed another 9,585 COVID-19 cases had been recorded since Friday morning, bringing the total number of confirmed infections statewide to 132,545. The latest figure also surpassed the previous daily record of more than 8,900 new cases, reported just a day earlier.

Across Florida, 3,390 have died from symptoms linked to coronavirus, including the 24 people who have died since Friday morning.

During a news conference in Fort Myers Friday, DeSantis said that despite the spike in cases, he would not force Floridians to wear a face mask when outdoors, the Miami Herald reported. The Republican leader and officials from the Health Department have generally encouraged residents to cover up when they cannot observe social distancing guidelines, but have stopped short of making masks a requirement.

“We’ve advised that’s something that could make an impact,” DeSantis said. “At the same time, to do police and put criminal penalties on, that is something that probably would backfire.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also encouraged the use of masks to slow the spread of coronavirus since early April.

Florida, among one of the first states to scale back coronavirus closures and guidelines, launched the second phase of its reopening on June 5, which allowed for bars, movie theaters and gyms to open at 50 percent capacity.

Just a few weeks later, cases began to spike.

DeSantis, who primarily blamed 20-somethings for the surge in cases, pointed to youth involvement in anti-police brutality protests and their willingness to socialize without observing social distancing.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Friday banned all consumption of alcohol at bars in response to surging cases. It was also recently announced that several beaches in the state would be closed to curb the spread of the virus, including in Miami-Dade for the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

Florida is one of several states battling a new wave of COVID-19 infections — Arizona, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have all seen coronavirus hospitalizations spike in recent weeks.