Officials favor phased reopening of Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has tapped 22 people to help him decide when and how to reopen the state.

Among those represented in the task force are officials from Universal Studios and Disney, but Florida’s elected officials are absent.

Conferences call on Tuesday focused mostly on tourism and Florida’s hotels and restaurants.Industry experts and the task force appear to favor a more phased approach to reopening.

See more on the task force plus our in-depth coverage on COVID-19:

Coronavirus In-Depth: Testing near hotspots and the road to reopening Our nightly in-depth coverage of COVID-19 continues.

Read live updates below:

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6 new coronavirus-related deaths in Central Florida

6:25 p.m. update

The Florida Department of Health reported 28 coronavirus-related deaths and 374 new cases statewide since Tuesday morning.

State health officials said six deaths of those deaths were reported in Central Florida.

Officials said the total number of cases in Florida has reached 27,869 and the death toll now stands at 867.

Read: Coronavirus live updates: Senate approves $484 billion ‘interim’ relief measure

Of the positive cases, 27,127 involve Florida residents and 742 involve nonresidents.

Officials said 4,226 people have been hospitalized in the state so far.

Volusia County reported three new deaths since Tuesday morning, bringing the death toll to 13.

Seminole, Osceola and Polk counties each reported one new death since Tuesday morning.

Read: Coronavirus: Where COVID-19 testing is available in Central Florida

Polk County’s death toll stands at 15, and Seminole and Osceola counties have each reported six deaths.

Seminole, Lake and Marion counties reported no new coronavirus cases since Tuesday morning.

Click here to see a map of positive cases in Florida, and see a county-by-county breakdown of Central Florida cases below.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Coronavirus cases in Florida

• Orange: 1,235 (1,222 earlier Tuesday)

• Osceola: 417 (416 earlier Tuesday)

• Volusia: 366 (356 earlier Tuesday)

• Polk: 356 (351 earlier Tuesday)

• Seminole: 328 (no change since Tuesday morning)

• Brevard: 224 (223 earlier Tuesday)

• Lake: 213 (no change since Tuesday morning)

• Sumter: 163 (153 earlier Tuesday)

• Marion: 130 (no change since Tuesday morning)

• Flagler: 78 (77 earlier Tuesday)

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

Governor, president to hold live news conferences soon

4:45 p.m. update

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will soon begin his first live news conference since Saturday, updating the public on the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here or tune into Channel 9 Eyewitness News to watch it live once it begins.

>>> CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE <<<

President Donald Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force will also hold a live news conference, beginning at 5 p.m. Click here to watch it live once it begins.

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

Flagler County reopens beaches with restrictions

2:45 p.m. update

Flagler County said it will reopen its 18 miles of beaches on a limited, trial basis Wednesday.

The county issued an emergency order Tuesday that will allow for the reopening its beaches to allow residents to get exercise.

The county said the duration of the temporary reopening will be based on how well the public practices social distancing.

Read: Tom Brady tossed out of Tampa recreation park by city worker

"Our residents have been very compliant with the trails at our parks, and that makes us very confident that this limited beach opening will be successful," County Administrator Jerry Cameron said in a news release. "The degree to which we can expand the hours is dependent on how the public responds to this initial re-opening."

Officials said they want to allow residents to engage physical and mental health activities only --no socializing.

Permitted activities include walking, biking, surfing, fishing, but no congregating.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Coronavirus cases in Florida

Those who go fishing will be allowed to carry a small cooler or container for bait and tackle, officials said.

The city of Flagler Beach will reopen its six-mile segment of the beach from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Access to the beach will be allowed from 3rd Street North to the northern city limits and from 9th Street South to the southern city limits.

The dune walkovers on the boardwalk will remain closed.

Read: Wild Florida offers up gators, giraffes and camels for your next Zoom meeting

Fishing on the beach and dog walking will only be permitted north of 10th Street North and south of 10th Street South.

The unincorporated areas of the beach, including Beverly Beach and Marineland, will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The county’s beachfront parks and their parking lots will remain closed.

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150 appointments made for COVID-19 testing at mobile site in Orange County

12:45 p.m. update

Watch the video below for the latest updates on testing numbers from the mobile COVID-19 testing site at South Econ Community Park on Tuesday:

Video: Appointments available for Orange County mobile COVID-19 testing sites The Florida Department of Health in Orange County said testing is underway for day two of mobile COVID-19 testing in the county.

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

No new local coronavirus-related deaths

11:15 a.m. update

The Florida Department of Health reported 16 coronavirus-related deaths and 437 new cases statewide since Monday evening.

Officials said the total number of cases in Florida has reached 27,495. They said the death toll now stands at 839.

Read: Coronavirus: Where COVID-19 testing is available in Central Florida

Of the cases, 26,761 involve Florida residents and 734 involve nonresidents.

Officials said 4,063 people have been hospitalized in the state so far.

Read: Coronavirus: Here’s how to apply for unemployment in Florida

No new deaths were reported in Central Florida since Monday evening, and Sumter County reported no new cases since then.

Click here to see a map of positive cases in Florida, and see a county-by-county breakdown of Central Florida cases below.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Coronavirus cases in Florida

• Orange: 1,222 (1,216 Monday)

• Osceola: 416 (410 Monday)

• Volusia: 356 (342 Monday)

• Polk: 351 (335 Monday)

• Seminole: 328 (325 Monday)

• Brevard: 223 (218 Monday)

• Lake: 213 (211 Monday)

• Sumter: 153 (no chance since Monday)

• Marion: 130 (129 Monday)

• Flagler: 77 (76 Monday)

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 4 for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

Appointments available for mobile COVID-19 testing sites in Orange County

10:10 a.m.

The Florida Department of Health in Orange County said testing is underway for day two of mobile COVID-19 testing in the county. Testing on Tuesday is set up at South Econ Community Park, and will be at Camping World Stadium on Wednesday.

Appointments are available by calling 407-7237-5004.

Seminole County Emergency Management hosting live chat

7:05 a.m. update

Seminole County Emergency Management officials said they will host a live chat to discuss COVID-19 at noon on Tuesday.

Following that, Seminole County Public Schools officials said they will host a Facebook live on the district’s Facebook page at 12:30 p.m.

Drive-thru testing site opening in Seminole County

6:30 a.m. update

Advent Health’s third drive-thru testing site will open up at Seminole Town Center in Sanford Tuesday morning.

The site can test up to to 500 people a day.

But to be tested, you must schedule an appointment through Advent Health’s website. Click here for more information and to make an appointment.

READ: Pop-up COVID-19 testing sites to open in Seminole County

Orange County mobile testing moves to South Econ Community Park

4:40 a.m. update

On the first day of mobile testing in Orange County on Monday, officials said they had more tests available than people make appointments.

The site tested 140 people but had the site had “the capacity to do another 200,” said Dr. Raul Pino with the Orange County Health Department.

READ: Coronavirus: Where COVID-19 testing is available in Central Florida

On Tuesday, the mobile testing site will move to South Econ Community Park.

No symptom criteria is required for testing at the mobile testing sites, but appointments are mandatory and individuals must be 18 years and older.

Residents can secure an appointment for testing by calling the DOH-Orange’s COVID-19 Call Center at 407-723-5004. The Call Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day.

The rest of the week’s mobile testing schedule is below:

Wednesday, April 22: Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place, Orlando, FL 32805

Thursday, April 23: Barnett Park, 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808

Friday, April 24: West Orange Park, 150 Windermere Road, Winter Garden, FL 34787

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.

Coronavirus In-Depth: Mobile testing in Orange County, a look at numbers Our continued in-depth coverage of the coronavirus in Central Florida.

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