GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis said five Florida residents who recently traveled to China have tested positive for coronavirus and are being quarantined.
The governor didn't specify where the residents are being quarantined.
"They're not going to be released from quarantine until they test negative," Gov. DeSantis said on Thursday at the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office. "We don't anticipate that having any impact on the people actually living in Florida."
In addition, the governor said an elderly Santa Rosa County man has presumptively tested positive for coronavirus, or COVID-19, in a state lab. That positive test still needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gov. DeSantis said the man, who's over the age of 70, had severe underlying medical conditions.
"He had been doing international travel," the governor said. "He's not in shape to fully answer all the questions, so there's an investigation ongoing."
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Gov. DeSantis added that the coronavirus risk to Floridians remains low, and the federal government is working to provide more testing kits to the state to screen patients for the virus.
"As of right now, our testing is being done in three local areas. We have Jacksonville, we have Tampa, and we have Miami," the governor said. "They have tens of thousands [of tests] that will eventually be en route. We don't have them yet. We'd like to get them as soon as possible."
State officials said people who are elderly, frail, or have underlying medical conditions are most at risk of coronavirus.
"That is overwhelmingly the audience, the groups, that is most susceptible to COVID-19," the governor said. "If you're somebody that has a real serious condition already, you should it view it differently than if you're 25 years old and don't have any problems."
To date, the CDC has only confirmed two cases of coronavirus in Florida: a Manatee County man in his 60s, and a Hillsborough County man in her 20s.
For questions related to coronavirus in Florida, contact the Department of Health's COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-866-779-6121. The call center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m
Get the latest information about coronavirus in Florida by clicking here.
