Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Fla., Case Counts Mount; Gov. DeSantis In The Hot Seat
On Saturday, for the second straight day, Florida crushed its previous record for new coronavirus cases, reporting 9,585 infections. Another 8,530 were reported on Sunday. ...Much of Florida鈥檚 new surge in cases appears to follow from the reopening of beaches, bars, restaurants and other social activities. The state鈥檚 beaches are full and throngs of revelers pack its waterways on boats. (Robles, 6/28)
In late April, as new coronavirus cases in Florida were steadily decreasing, Gov. Ron DeSantis began crowing about how his state had tamed the pandemic. He credited his decision to impose a state-specific quarantine on New York, then the epicenter of the nation鈥檚 outbreak. The move earned him praise in the White House and the ire of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York. Months later, Mr. Cuomo has clearly not forgotten. 鈥淵ou played politics with this virus and you lost,鈥 Mr. Cuomo said on Thursday when asked in an interview about Mr. DeSantis鈥檚 earlier boasts. (Goodman and Mazzei, 6/26)
Recent weeks have brought a new kind of purgatory for tourism workers in the region. Will spiking coronavirus cases in Florida halt the reopening that was beginning to happen? Disney, for instance, has been calling back employees ahead of a limited return to operations on July 11. (Edelheit and Barnes, 6/27)
