ORLANDO, Fla. — Read live updates below:
Long-term care facilities where someone has tested positive for coronavirus
10:25 p.m. update
Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged the Florida Health Department to publish the names of long-term care facilities where a resident or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.
To see a list of Central Florida facilities where someone has tested positive for the virus, click here.
Read: Central Florida long-term facilities where someone has tested positive for COVID-19
38 inmates at Tomoka Correctional Institution test positive for COVID-19
8:18 p.m. update
The Florida Department of Corrections said 38 inmates at Tomoka Correctional Institution Main Unit have tested positive for COVID-19.
The institution houses 1,226 inmates.
Tomoka Correctional Institution said it has transitioned to providing all services, including medical services and meals to inmates within their dormitories.
Institutional response teams have been placed in ready status to address emerging needs.
FDC said all symptomatic inmates are being tested for COVID-19. Elderly and immune-compromised inmates are given priority for testing.
All inmates are being monitored by health services staff and temperature checks are being conducted throughout the day, officials said.
Orange County Convention Center testing site collects 357 tests, officials say
6:50 p.m. update
The Orange County Convention Center testing site closed for the day with 357 tests collected, officials said.
The site will reopen Sunday at 9 a.m. with 750 test available.
Officials said 7,444 tests have been provided since the site opened.
At 5:00pm the @FLSERT @FLGuard #COVID19 Test Collection Site @OCCC closed for the day with 357 tests collected. The site will open tomorrow at 9:00am with 750 tests available @WFTV @WESH @news6wkmg @MyNews13 @Telemundo31 @fox35orlando @orlandosentinel @news965wdbo @wmfeorlando pic.twitter.com/moPWctfyH6
— Florida Association of Public Information Officers (@FloridaPIOs) April 18, 2020
Florida health officials update COVID-19 case numbers
6:13 p.m. update
The Florida Department of Health reported 8 coronavirus-related deaths and 223 new cases statewide since Saturday morning.
Officials said the total number of cases in Florida has reached 25,492.
They said the death toll stands at 748.
Read: Downtown Orlando rally calls for reopening Florida, ignores social distancing order
Of the cases, 24,797 involve Florida residents and 695 involve nonresidents.
So far, 3,745 people have been hospitalized in the state.
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
NEW CASES:
Orange: 1,180 (1,172 earlier)
Osceola: 403 (397 earlier)
Seminole: 315 (314 earlier)
Volusia: 291 (285 earlier)
Lake: 203 (201 earlier)
Brevard: 210 (209 earlier)
Sumter: 144 (124 earlier)
Flagler: 66 (earlier)
NO CHANGE:
Polk: 320
Marion: 118
All Florida schools to continue with distance learning for remainder of school year, governor says
4:43 p.m. update
Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has received more than 30,000 test results in the last two days and the percentage of people who tested positive among those tested has dropped.
DeSantis said students in Florida will continue with distance learning for the remainder of the school year.
BREAKING: @GovRonDeSantis announcing all Florida schools will stay out for the duration of the school year and continue distance learning, after much discussion with a variety of impacted groups, including parents.
— Deanna Allbrittin (@deannaTVnews) April 18, 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis to give COVID-19 update
4:26 p.m. update
Gov. Ron DeSantis will be giving an update on the coronavirus pandemic.
Flagler County leaders to discuss reopening beaches for limited use
3:53 p.m. update
Flagler County leaders held a virtual meeting to discuss reopening beaches for exercise on a trial basis.
Officials said the exact details will continue to be worked out and a formal announcement will be made Tuesday.
When limited beach hours are established it will be for physical exercise, like walking and running, leaders said.
“We are trying to avoid the missteps of other jurisdictions,” said County Administrator Jerry Cameron. “The goal is safety. We’ve been encouraged by and continue to monitor our park trails experiment – our residents are following extreme social distancing. We don’t want to string too many hours together at the beach, which could encourage day trippers to travel here from other areas.”
COVID-19 testing sites
2:25 p.m. update
The Florida National Guard said it has collected more than 54,000 samples at COVID-19 testing sites statewide.
More than 2,300 guardsmen have been assisting in the effort.
Officials said more than 7,500 samples have been collected so far at the Orange County Convention Center drive-thru testing site.
Read: Coronavirus: What is a clinical trial?
New COVID-19 cases
11:50 a.m. update
The Florida Department of Health reported 14 coronavirus-related deaths and 516 new cases statewide since Friday evening.
Officials said the total number of cases in Florida has reached 25,269.
They said the death toll stands at 740.
Read: Downtown Orlando rally calls for reopening Florida, ignores social distancing order
Of the cases, 24,577 involve Florida residents and 692 involve nonresidents.
So far, 3,680 people have been hospitalized in the state. Click here to read more about hospitalizations.
Read: $2,000 Per Month: What is the coronavirus Emergency Money Act and who would get the payments?
Flagler County was the only Central Florida county to not report any new cases since Friday.
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: 1,172 (1,158 Friday evening)
• Osceola: 397 (392 Friday evening)
• Polk: 320 (316 Friday evening)
• Seminole: 314 (313 Friday evening)
• Volusia: 285 (270 Friday evening)
• Brevard: 209 (205 Friday evening)
• Lake: 201 (197 Friday evening)
• Sumter: 124 (120 Friday evening)
• Marion: 118 (116 Friday evening)
• Flagler: 55 (no change since Friday evening)
Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News at Noon for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.
Some beaches and parks reopen
10:10 a.m. update
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has given the green light for some beaches and parks to reopen if it can be done safely after being closed because of the coronavirus.
His announcement Friday came as North Florida beaches became among the first to allow beachgoers to return since the closures.
Read: Downtown Orlando rally calls for reopening Florida, ignores social distancing order
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Duval County beaches were reopening Friday afternoon with restricted hours, and they can be used only for walking, biking, hiking, fishing, running, swimming and surfing.
State officials were criticized for leaving beaches open during spring break. Most counties closed their beaches in response or kept them open under very restrictive conditions.
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.
If you plan to visit the beach today, please maintain at least 6 ft between you and others. Remember: beaches are open for exercise only- no chairs, coolers, sunbathing, or towels/blankets laid out to sit on.
— JaxReady (@JaxReady) April 18, 2020
For more information visit: https://t.co/kLJZXvQm0a#JaxReady pic.twitter.com/M9cRZKGZ72
📢 Reminder 📢
— City of Jacksonville (COJ) (@CityofJax) April 17, 2020
When Duval County beaches & parks open today from 5pm to 8pm it is for exercise only - No chairs, coolers, sunbathing, or towels/blankets laid out to sit on.
Thank you for continuing to practice social distancing, for more information: https://t.co/TmkOmWZOqk pic.twitter.com/0mZLiMBoc9
Reopening Florida’s economy
9:20 a.m. update
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he met with an economic task force aimed at reopening the state's economy.
He said he could have a plan finalized by next week.
Read: Orange County, Orlando leaders extend stay-at-home order, working on plan to reopen county
University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith said an economic recovery will be slow at first, especially for the Orlando area’s theme parks and its airport.
“It’s going to take some time,” he said. “We’re not going to open up our tourism sector in Florida and instantly go (back) to 100 million visitors per year.”
Read: How will the reopening plan affect Orlando businesses?
Walk-in testing sites
8:15 a.m. update
Florida will open two walk-in coronavirus testing sites in the Fort Lauderdale area to ensure people who cannot get to drive-up locations have a way to get checked.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday the two sites are in predominantly African American communities in Broward County, which has been one of the hardest-hit places by the virus.
Read: Downtown Orlando rally calls for reopening Florida, ignores social distancing order
Many people in such areas rely on public transportation or other means to get around and have difficulty getting to a drive-up testing site.
Florida Department of Health statistics show that more than 225,000 people have been tested for the virus in Florida.
Almost 25,000 people in Florida have tested positive, leading to almost 3,700 hospitalizations and 726 deaths.
Read: $2,000 Per Month: What is the coronavirus Emergency Money Act and who would get the payments?
Florida’ unemployment
6 a.m. update
Florida’s unemployment rate shot up to 4.3% in March, as coronavirus-induced closures of Florida’s theme parks, hotels and large numbers of businesses caused the highest levels of joblessness in almost two years.
It was a dramatic increase from the state’s previous month’s unemployment rate of 2.8%.
Read: Florida’s unemployment rate jumps by highest percentage since Great Recession
Economists warn that March’s preliminary numbers don’t capture the extent of the damage caused by business closures.
They said the real jobless situation in Florida won’t be reflected until April’s numbers.
Read: TIMELINE: Coronavirus - Friday, April 17
The Bureau of Labor Statistic said the last time Florida’s unemployment rate was that high was in May 2017.
Click here to watch live, in-depth coverage on Channel 9 Eyewitness News, and click here to read a timeline of what happened Friday.
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.
Cox Media Group
