Florida surpasses 1 million COVID-19 cases

Florida became the third state to exceed 1 million cases on Tuesday and continued to get closer to a coronavirus death toll of 20,000.

But Gov. Ron DeSantis remained steadfast in his opposition to a statewide mandatory mask order or any return to lockdowns of businesses, including bars and restaurants.

“Yes, we are seeing increases, but other states are seeing even more,” DeSantis said Monday during a news conference in Kissimmee with Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. It was his first live news conference in a month.

DeSantis reiterated his opposition to mask mandates and lockdowns on CNN Tuesday morning, the same day it was reported that Florida added 8,847 new cases Monday for a total of 1,008,166, making it the third state to exceed 1 million cases, after California and Texas. Its death toll among residents increased by 82, bringing that total to 18,679.

Read more: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2020/12/01/florida-coronavirus-1-million-cases-covid-19-pandemic/6462304002/