Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is reassuring the state that health officials are prepared for any cases of a new strain of coronavirus that has already killed thousands of people abroad. At a press conference Thursday morning, the governor said there were no confirmed infections in Florida of the disease known as COVID-19.
State health officials are attempting to calm fears, but critics say state officials are not being forthcoming about any suspected cases in the state.
In Tampa, Mayor Jane Castor said in a press conference Thursday afternoon there have not been any confirmed cases in the city.
Across the state, some colleges and universities have canceled trips abroad as precautions. A key business analyst said this week that the state should be “concerned but not panicked” about the outbreak’s threat to the Florida economy.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Florida has created a web page where they said they will publish any new information on the epidemic. But there is one thing they are declining to share: how many people in Florida have been tested for the virus.
Watch Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s press conference on coronavirus preparation:
information from the associated press was used in this report
