By Mike Schneider - The Associated Press
ORLANDO.— Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19 this Saturday, the highest daily number registered in the state since the beginning of the pandemic.
The state has become the new epicenter of the virus in the United States, with about a fifth of all new cases in the country concentrated there.
Its popular theme parks have again begun to require tourists to wear masks indoors.
Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has resisted making the mandate to wear masks and vaccination tests mandatory. Along with the state Legislature, DeSantis has limited the ability of local officials to impose restrictions designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. On Friday, it
banned school districts from requiring students to wear masks
when classes resume next month.
The record number this Saturday shows how quickly the number of cases is increasing in the 'sunshine state': just a day earlier, Florida had reported 17,093 new cases.
The state had reached its daily peak on January 7, when 19,334 cases were detected.
That happened before vaccines were available to the entire population.
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The Florida Hospital Association said Friday that COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state are approaching last year's peak, and one of the state's largest healthcare systems, AdventHealth Central Florida, reported this week that
I would no longer perform non-emergency surgeries to free up resources to care for COVID-19 patients.
Health officials announced Friday that coronavirus cases in Florida have risen 50% over the past week and hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the state approached the peak of last year.
Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld parks became the newest theme park resorts in Florida on Saturday to once again ask visitors to wear face masks indoors, and Universal also directed its employees to wear face covers to protect against the virus.
The policy change this week at theme park resorts came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.