Asked about the possibility of stricter face mask regulations throughout the state, DeSantis said face coverings have been advised since the state’s first phase of reopening.
“When you’re living your life and trying to open up the country, you are going to come into contact with people, and for that reason, we know that masks are really important, and we should be using them everywhere,” he said.
Of the state’s 9,351 hospitalizations, more than a third are in Miami-Dade and neighboring Broward counties, the AHCA said.
“Fifteen nurses in the ICUs alone called in sick today, just at Jackson Main,” she told the affiliate. “They’re exhausted. They’ve been doing this since March.”
Florida now has more than 350,000 cases and 4,982 deaths, state data shows. Other hot spots include Arizona, which reported record deaths Saturday, and Louisiana, where statewide community spread — rather than the nursing homes blamed for early spikes — is making Covid-19 “more rampant” than it has ever been Gov. Bel Edwards tweeted.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Vermont has gone a month without a coronavirus-related death, its tally remaining static at 56 since June 19.
US also setting records
Texas reports more than 10,000 cases for fifth day
In Texas, similar calls for help came from healthcare professionals as cases continue to climb across the state.
For the fifth day in a row, Texas reported more than 10,000 new cases in a day, according to state data. The 10,158 new cases reported Saturday bring the state’s case tally to at least 317,730.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who once pushed for one of the most aggressive reopenings, has in recent weeks advocated for the use of face masks to help businesses stay open.
Several states reconsidering masks
Texas isn’t the only state promoting the importance of wearing masks. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves issued a mask mandate in 13 of the state’s 82 counties and told CNN he would institute it statewide if he believed it would save lives.
Health agencies did not advise wearing masks at the beginning of the pandemic, and now they do, “so it’s a complicated process,” the governor said.
“If we will do the little things,” Reeves said, “we can make a difference in slowing the spread of this virus. The best way to do that is to highlight those counties where it’s most needed.”
He noted that Los Angeles had a mask mandate and has more cases than Mississippi. The California city saw record single-day new cases and hospitalizations last week.
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti is “on the brink” of issuing another stay-at-home order, he said. Garcetti defended his leadership during the crisis, pointing to the city’s testing initiatives and mask mandate, but said many factors were beyond his control and took aim at the White House, citing “the lack of national leadership.”
“I think that there are people who are just as exhausted. They were sold a bill of goods. They said this was under control. They said this would be over soon, and I think when leaders say that, people react and they do the wrong things. They stop distancing themselves. They stop washing their hands. They stop wearing masks,” Garcetti said.
In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine also stopped short of a statewide order, but the state has begun a campaign to encourage residents to wear masks. Covid-19 is spreading in bars, churches, casual settings and via out-of-towners, and he worries Ohio could follow Florida’s path, he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” It’s important his constituents realize wearing a mask is about protecting everyone, he said.
“You wear the mask to protect your grandmother,” DeWine told NBC. “The orders are obviously important, but getting people to buy in and to understand — getting a 20-year-old to understand that he or she may feel invulnerable, nothing is going to happen to them, but they may get it. They may not know they have it. They may go home and see their grandmother. She may get it, and she may end up dying.”
While some states are resisting making masks mandatory for all residents, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he understands the sentiment but has no choice.
“Not something I wanted to do,” he told ABC, “but it’s something everyone can do to relieve pressure on hospitals, to give us a hope to bring down those cases.”
He added, “It’s not the first lever we pull, but it is one that when the data says it’s necessary, we do it.”
CNN’s Melissa Alonso, Kay Jones, Jamiel Lynch, Gisela Crespo, Rosa Flores, Dan Shepherd, Sheena Jones, Anna Sturla, Nicky Robertson, Lauren Del Valle and Randi Kaye contributed to this report.