Following three days in a row of new cases reports topping 8,500, on Monday the Florida Department of Health reported another 5,266 new cases of COVID-19.
The state also reported another 28 people had died from coronavirus within the last day.
41,626 test results were turned into the health department on Sunday. That's a drop from Saturday, which had 72,195 tests turned in.
The percent positivity rate reported on Monday was 13.67 percent. That's the fourth day in a row that the positivity rate was greater than 12 percent each day.
Health experts have repeatedly recommended a 5 percent positivity rate or lower over a two-week period to be comfortable reopening. Florida has seen several days of more than double that percentage.
The state broke its single-day record again on Saturday with 9,585 new cases following Friday's spike of 8,942 cases. Monday was the first time in three days that the number of new cases reported was less than 8,000.
Here's a breakdown of the new coronavirus cases reported by the state on each day for the past week:
- June 22: 2,926
- June 23: 3,286
- June 24: 5,508
- June 25: 5,004
- June 26: 8,942
- June 27: 9,585
- June 28: 8,530
- June 29: 5,266
Amid weeks of climbing new case numbers in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday reiterated that there are no major policy changes to the state's reopening plan. Florida has been in Phase Two of reopening since June 5.
DeSantis asserts the jumps in new case reports came from testing and increased numbers of younger people contracting coronavirus.
The number of new cases reported in the Tampa Bay area:
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DeSantis said Sunday that social interaction among young people is driving the surge in new cases, saying "caution was thrown to the wind" by bars and pubs that were not following reopening guidelines about social distancing.
On Friday, the day the state topped 8,000 cases for the first time, Florida suspended drinking at bars in response to the rising number of new cases.
Also over the weekend, leaders across the state announced that some Florida beaches will be closed during the busy July 4 weekend.
So far leaders in Miami and Broward and Palm Beach counties announced the beaches would be closed next weekend.
State and local leaders at Sunday's news conference asked people to continue practicing the basics: wearing a mask in public, sanitizing common surfaces and washing hands frequently. It's also important for people to avoid crowded places, DeSantis said.
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