Florida bars, indoor dining, gyms and any other indoor spaces where masks are not worn 100% of the time should be closed down to stop the spread of COVID-19, according to a White House Coronavirus Task Force Report.
The recommendation comes as the state is seeing a slight decrease in new coronavirus cases, test positivity and hospitalizations.
The report, which was officially released on Jan. 17, was just recently made available following a News-Journal public records request to the Florida Department of Health.
The state did not respond to questions about how, if or when the recommendations will be put into effect.
But it’s unlikely that the state will go into another shutdown of any kind, according to State Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, chair of the committee on Pandemics and Public Emergencies.
“You have to look at the economic impact,” Leek said. “The most at-risk should stay at home instead of forcing us into further economic ruin.”
Social distancing, wearing a mask, and taking care of oneself are still critically important, Leek said. But he said he would not force a shutdown on every person in the state, especially based on just one report when there are several other factors to consider.
“Fact of the matter is we have to take in all the information we get and make the best decision for the state as a whole,” Leek said.
But Dr. Asal Johnson, epidemiologist and professor at Stetson University, said she agrees with the White House recommendations and believes Florida should implement them.
“We cannot continue business as usual because nothing is usual or normal about the current status,” Johnson said. “The closure of bars, restaurants and gyms is just the least that can be done.”
Florida is still categorized as a “red zone” for COVID-19 cases, according to the report, meaning there’s a high rate of community transmission. The task force uses three different zones: red is the highest, followed by orange and yellow.
Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties are all currently in the red zone, as are 84% of Florida counties, according to the Jan. 17 report. That’s actually a 10% decrease from the Jan. 10 report, which said Florida was experiencing a full-on resurgence. All Florida counties are currently experiencing moderate or high levels of community transmission.
“We should act as though we have more transmissible strains circulating,” the Jan. 17 White House report states. “This surge has also been significantly longer, currently three times as long as the spring and summer surge, in the time it’s taking to reach a plateau and significantly more deadly.”
Even though the state has seen a slight decrease in new cases, test positivity and COVID hospital admissions since the Jan. 10 report, Florida remains unstable and must take immediate action to stop the spread of the virus, the report states.
During the week of Jan. 4, 32% of nursing homes had at least one new resident COVID-19 case; 63% had at least one new staff COVID-19 case; and 9% had at least one new resident COVID-19 death, according to the report.
Florida had 460 new cases per 100,000 population, lower than the national average of 478 per 100,000. The state currently ranks 22nd in the number of new cases per 100,000.
“We are here because our governor (Ron DeSantis) refused to act earlier,” Johnson said. “This virus will not stop spreading unless some public health policies are put in place. Florida is in a dangerous phase and it is overdue for our governor to listen to public health experts.”
There is evidence of early stabilization of community spread, albeit at very high rates of transmission, and plateauing rates of new COVID-19 admissions in many parts of the U.S., according to the report. However, aggressive mitigation must continue to prevent a resurgence and to accelerate decline, it states.
Action must be taken in Florida to prevent an increase in hospitalizations, according to the report.
“It needs to be more comprehensive and longer than the summer mitigation actions,” the report stated. “Due to the significant asymptomatic contribution to community spread, the degree of underlying community infection is extensive by the time hospitalizations occur.”
Between Jan. 9 and 15, on average, 1,117 patients with confirmed COVID-19 and 305 patients with suspected COVID-19 were reported as newly admitted each day to hospitals in Florida. That is a decrease of 5% in total new COVID-19 hospital admissions.
Here are some actions the White House report recommends Florida take immediately:
- Use data to take real-time, immediate action in problem areas.
- Require masks be worn 100% of the time and work with retailers to ensure compliance.
- Close bars, restaurants, gyms and any other indoor space where masks are not worn 100% of the time.
- Encourage people to not have personnel gatherings where masks are not worn as they are key in viral spreading events.
- Proactive testing of asymptomatic people, specifically in school and college settings.
- Practice treatment: Americans with underlying conditions and those over 65 must know to test with any symptoms or known exposure to ensure rapid access to monoclonal antibodies which, when implemented, are associated with a significant decline in the rate of hospitalization and fatalities.
- Every hospital and physician must directly provide infusion clinics or know where to link patients. Increased PSAs and community awareness of this important therapy must be accelerated.
- Vaccinating as many people as possible, as fast as possible.
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