Florida republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced Friday that he will order the state to lift all coronavirus restrictions and bar local governments from implementing any public health regulations even though the state is experiencing an uptick in cases, Politico reports.
The DeSantis order takes the ability of areas experiencing future outbreaks from taking steps to stop the spread of the virus, and it requires localities to void any outstanding fines for previous violations of public health regulations.
According to data from the New York Times, Florida has seen a 5% increase in the number of new cases and fatalities reported over the last two weeks, indicating the state is not seeing a consistent downward trend recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a metric to safely reopen.