As COVID-19 deaths slide, vigilance urged over long holiday

File photo shows a woman wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus walking near a crowded beach. (Bob Edme, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida officials continued urging vigilance over the Labor Day holiday weekend, even as the coronavirus pandemic continued on a downward trajectory Saturday with the fewest number of new deaths — about 60 — since mid-July.

Officials have been urging Floridians to wear face masks and observe social distancing throughout the three-day holiday weekend, particularly at beaches and other public places.

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On Saturday, the state reported nearly 3,700 news cases of COVID-19, pushing the total number of infections to nearly 644,000 since the outbreak began in the spring.

The 60 new deaths from the coronavirus brought the weekly average of deaths — now at 102 — to its lowest since July 18.

The state reported 3,235 people were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19.

The downward trajectory in deaths and new cases in recent weeks helped reassure confidence that the pandemic was waning in Florida.

On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order allowing Palm Beach County to move into the next phase of reopening businesses and loosening restrictions that have been in place since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Bowling alleys and movie theaters will be able to reopen at 50% capacity on Tuesday, and gyms and retail stores will be able to reopen with full capacity.

Only Broward and Miami-Dade counties — the state’s most populous — remain in Phase 1.

Most beaches were expected to remain open over the holiday weekend.

Meanwhile, state officials were moving to privatize some of its testing sites, the Miami Herald reported. Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz told the paper that the state was taking the action to cut costs as demand for tests decreased.

The first site to be privatized will be in Broward County. Moskowitz said the state is looking to make similar moves at other state-run testing sites.