On the day when three more local residents lost their battle with COVID-19 and 41 more virus-related fatalities were reported across Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an order putting an end to all local Coronavirus emergency orders put in place across the Sunshine State.
All three of the latest local fatalities were in Marion County. They are among the 1,866 deaths across the tri-county area, the 36,009 in Florida and the 577,402 across the country since the pandemic hit the United States in March 2020, statistics provided by the Florida Department of Health and Johns Hopkins University show.
DeSantis’ latest bill8 and executive order immediately halts all local COVID-19 orders, such as those requiring masks and stricter restrictions. The order applies to government mandates but won’t affect businesses that have mask rules in place.
In signing the order, DeSantis declared that Florida was no longer in a state of emergency. He cited widespread availability of vaccines as one of the key reasons for the directive and made the case that those who still want restrictions are actually saying they don’t believe in vaccines.
All told, Florida is reporting 2,245,853 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 3,075 from Sunday to Monday. Of those, 2,203,807 are residents. A total of 84,804 COVID-19 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 32,402 in correctional facilities. Across the state, 90,889 people have been hospitalized.
Locally, Lake County is reporting 29,468 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 39 in a 24-hour period. There have been 633 deaths and 1,524 people have been hospitalized. A total of 165,218 people have been vaccinated, with 128,230 receiving both doses.
Leesburg is now reporting 4,415 cases – an overnight increase of 5. Others have been identified in Clermont (7,898), Eustis (2,575), Mount Dora (2,151), Tavares (2,032), Groveland (2,026), Lady Lake (1,707), Minneola (911), Sorrento (846), Fruitland Park (839), Umatilla (759), Mascotte (603), Grand Island (369), Montverde (355), Astatula (223), Howey-in-the-Hills (219), Altoona (202), The Villages (185), Paisley (163), Astor (111), Yalaha (83), Okahumpka (57), Mount Plymouth (13) and Ferndale (9).
Below is a breakdown of other COVID-19 activity in the local area:
TRI-COUNTY AREA
- Cases: 69,711 – increase of 88
- Deaths: 1,866
- Hospitalizations: 4,251
SUMTER COUNTY
- Cases: 9,294 – increase of 13
- Deaths: 275
- Hospitalizations: 578
- Vaccinations: 83,464 (70,739 both doses)
- Areas/cities with most cases: The Villages (4,251), Wildwood (1,088), Bushnell (1,031), Coleman (852) and Oxford (541).
MARION COUNTY
- Cases: 30,949 – increase of 36
- Deaths: 958
- Hospitalizations: 2,149
- Vaccinations: 133,156 (101,988 both doses)
- Cities with most cases: Ocala (22,629), Summerfield (1,920), Dunnellon (1,432), Belleview (1,366) and Silver Springs (681).
