ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida's 14-day moving average for newly confirmed coronavirus cases continues to trend upward as the state reopens.
The Florida Department of Health receives lab test results each day. On Friday, it reported another 11,433 new positive cases, pushing the state's overall total to 244,151 since the pandemic began.
Florida has now had more confirmed cases than Germany and France, according to data from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. Germany has 83.02 million residents, which is more than 3.86 times the population of Florida. France has nearly 67 million residents -- more than three times Florida's population.
DeSantis says he wants Florida schools to reopen this fall but also distanced himself from the state’s education commissioner who recently ordered schools to reopen five days a week.
DeSantis says he understands parents may be fearful of their children returning, so he suggested online learning should also be on the table.
”Different parents have different calculations. If a parent wants to opt for virtual education, they should absolutely be able to do that. We shouldn’t be forcing them to do any type of decisions,” DeSantis told First Coast News.