TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner and Gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Fried is pushing for Gov. DeSantis to push for the return of daily coronavirus reports and to issue an emergency order to draw in federal resources.
Fried spoke in Sarasota Monday to discuss a new clean water initiative aimed to better protect the state’s natural resources and compared the ongoing rise in cases to the state and dealing with an incoming hurricane.
“Governor, Department of Health what are you waiting for? It is time, Governor, to issue an emergency order. The people of our state need this information. We should be going back to daily recording. Can you imagine we live in the state of Florida, that we know a hurricane is coming, and we know that we have to evacuate but we don’t know where the evacuation zones are, we don’t know exactly the tracking of this hurricane, we don’t know the strength and severity of it, that we are left completely in the dark, that is exactly what is happening right now.”
Fried said she would continue to share Florida’s daily numbers from the CDC as the state and Florida Department of Health continues to only release the latest COVID-19 numbers on a week-by-week breakdown.
“We know how to beat this. We know how to get in front of this to slow down the spread I am pleading with Floridians who have not gotten the vaccine, go out today and get the vaccine,” Fried said.
The latest weekly report on COVID-19 cases in Florida shows the state in the midst of a third spike, with the highest daily increases recorded since January 2021.
According to the report from the Florida Department of Health, 73,166 new cases were reported from July 16 to July 22, versus the additional 45,604 new cases the week before. The FDOH switched from daily data publications to weekly reports in June.
Florida’s Department of Health switched from daily data briefings to weekly reports back in June.