Florida governor issues 30-day stay-at-home order

The state of Florida will be under a 30-day stay-at-home order starting Thursday at midnight in an attempt to slow down the progression of the coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday.

“I’m going to be doing an executive order today directing all Floridians to limit movements and personal interactions outside the home to only those necessary,” he said. “To obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.”

Several counties, including Orange and Osceola, where Disney World is located, implemented stay-at-home orders last week.

Florida now has 6,955 confirmed cases with 87 deaths, according to the state’s health department.

DeSantis has come under fire for not implementing a stay-at-home order earlier sooner as other states, such as New York and New Jersey, have done.

Hours before DeSantis made the announcement, U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, said on NBC’s “Today” show that he would tell DeSantis that the federal guidelines for social distancing should be viewed as “a national stay-at-home order.”

DeSantis said during his briefing he decided to issue the order after consulting with President Donald Trump and White House advisers.