Florida Gov. to make state reopening announcement Wednesday

Gov. Ron DeSantis will make an announcement on Wednesday about the reopening of Florida’s economy, he said during a meeting with President Trump.

While he would not give any specifics, DeSantis said that going to Phase 1, as outlined by the White House, is just a small step away. He said that the decisions being made would be “thoughtful” and “data driven.”

DeSantis talked about the statewide Florida Task Force he created of business, health professionals and elected officials and said he would be reading the submitted report on Tuesday and make an announcement on Wednesday.

Moving to Phase 1 and then to the subsequent to a Phase 2 and finally a Phase 3 reopening needs to have the following met, according to the White House guidelines.

• Downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses reported within a 14-day period, and downward trajectory of covid-like cases reported within a 14-day period.
• Downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests). 
• Treat all patients without crisis care and have a robust testing program in place for at-risk health care workers, including emerging antibody testing.

Asked why he closed Florida later than other states, DeSantis contrasted Florida’s “tailored” and “measured” approach with “draconian” measures in other states, according to the White House pool report.

“Everyone in the media was saying Florida was going to be like New York or Italy and that has not happened,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis was asked about potentially resuming tourism in the state.

“We have to make safety a priority … I do think there’s a path to do that,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis noted “we didn’t have outbreaks” tied to Disney being open in March and other activity in state early this year, according to the pool report.

Florida’s stay at home order is scheduled to end on April 30.

This does not mean that Disney or other theme parks would immediately open. Orange County, where the majority of Disney World is located has created its own task force concerning reopening the county and they are waiting for the DeSantis to make his announcement.

On Tuesday, Orange County unveiled guidelines for the reopening of businesses including Disney.

Those general guidelines so far would require the following for Phase 1 and Phase 2:

• All employees required to wear facemasks
• Touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing entry and turnstiles
• Touchless hand sanitizer at each ride/attraction entry and exit
• Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temp above 100.4 must not enter premises)
• All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home
• Wipe down all railings and surfaces after every use
• Phase 1: 50% capacity
• Phase 2: 75% capacity