TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday afternoon that President Trump granted Florida’s request for FEMA disaster declaration, opening up more federal funding to fight coronavirus.
Also, in an effort to protect senior citizens older than 65, and anyone with underlying health issues, DeSantis said the state's surgeon general will advise those people to stay at home.
“The numbers that we have, as we have expanded testing, the data is just overwhelming that if you are not in one of those two groups, your chance of suffering a fatality is extremely low,” said DeSantis.
Once again, he reiterated the need for travelers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self isolate if they are arriving to Florida by plane.
"People are fleeing from New York (since the stay-at-home order was imposed Friday) … we have to take precautions here,” said DeSantis.
He said Florida currently has a 35-percent capacity for bed space across the state.
Earlier Wednesday, DeSantis stressed again that he has no plans to issue a sweeping stay-at-home order in the Sunshine State to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
DeSantis said the federal government has supported his decision, calling it a thoughtful and data-driven approach.
