On Thursday evening, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said his top economic priority was improving the avenues for people to apply for unemployment assistance.
To offer a better picture of their current application volume, DeSantis said that in 2019 Florida had a total of 307,701 claims for unemployment assistance. In just the last two weeks they’ve had 348,511 claims.
"We need to do more to get relief for the people of Florida," said DeSantis.
Desantis issued an Executive Order to identify and deploy agencies and state government employees to assist with the unemployment operations. DeSantis said they will utilize government manpower to the best of their ability to bring wait times down and have more people available to answers calls and file claims.
He is working with AT&T and Verizon to help with creating call centers from people's homes to help with claims. He said the web platform is overloaded, so that's why they are working to beef up call centers for online submissions but they are also allowing people to drop off paper submissions.
To help with that process, he said he is ordering the Department of Economic Opportunity to immediately purchase "on an emergency basis" software technology that will help expand and speed up their efforts. He said, "all agencies are working on this".
He issued another executive order requiring mortgage foreclosures and eviction releases to be extended for another 45-day suspension.
As of Thursday, the state has screened 11,000 incoming travelers by air and car.
They continue to monitor bed availability in hospitals. He said the numbers are "pretty similar" as of now, in about the "40% range".
DeSantis clarified some questions he received regarding his order on "essential" work and activities. He said the key goal of that order is to reduce contact with people outside of the home since the virus transmits when people are in close contact.
"It's less important what you do, instead of how you do it," he said.
He said people can still enjoy outdoor activities, like running and walking, as long as they maintain social distancing.
As for churches opening their doors, DeSantis said they are free to do so as long as they maintain social distancing.
"The government does not have the authority to close the church, and I'm certainly not going to do that," he said. "In times like this, what you're doing is even more important."
DeSantis said people in a church can spread out six feet apart and maintain social distancing just like media maintains social distancing sitting apart at his press conferences.
"At times like this, I think the service they are providing is going to be very important for people, especially coming up on the Easter season people will want access to churches."
DeSantis said each region in Florida is very distinct and "things are approached very differently" but he said he has been in contact with local leaders and church leaders and he is "happy" to continue working with them on that.
"The constitution doesn’t get suspended here, the government cannot close churches."