#Florida breaks single-day record for new coronavirus cases — again

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The Florida Army National Guard’s members conduct nasal swabs and coronavirus tests at the testing location at Hard Rock Stadium’s parking lot in Miami, Florida.
CRISTOBAL HERRERA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Florida broke its single-day record for new coronavirus cases Friday — again.

Health officials announced Saturday that 4,049 people tested positive for the virus the day before, marking the fourth time the state has hit the dubious distinction in the last eight days.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has attributed the rise of cases to an increase in testing and insisted Friday that the wearing of facemasks should be voluntary.

“This has to be voluntary because the Constitution is not suspended just because there is a virus,” he said, CBS News reported. “You do have a right to protest. You have a right to go to religious service. All these other things.”

Every county in Florida — with the exception of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach — is in the second phase of reopening, meaning bars and restaurants can operate at half capacity, while gyms, retail shops and professional sports venues can operate at full capacity.

Other states like, Texas, California and Arizona have also faced coronavirus upticks since easing shelter-in-place orders.

Earlier in the week, scientists at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia predicted Florida could become the next coronavirus epicenter due to overly lax coronavirus restrictions.

Projections revealed Wednesday in a model from the researchers indicated that the Sunshine State has “all the markings of the next large epicenter of coronavirus transmission,” and risks being the “worst it has ever been.”