PENSACOLA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that the state is in "good shape" in its efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
"The best testing results we had in Florida throughout the whole pandemic was during our Phase One reopening," DeSantis said during a news conference at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
Although COVID-19 cases have spiked in the Sunshine State over the past three weeks, DeSantis maintained that increased testing has led to increased positive cases.
DeSantis said the younger demographic, particularly between the ages of 25 and 34, is the leading age group for positive tests.
"Most of the transmission we're seeing is not because people are going to work," DeSantis said in defense of the state's reopening plan. "It's because they're being social."
The governor said he believes increased group interaction has "led to increases in cases."
"It's been a real significant shift," DeSantis said.
He went on to say that the state hasn't had any issue with businesses that have been adhering to the reopening guidelines.
DeSantis once again advised the public to avoid the "three Cs:" close spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.
The governor said his administration has continued to advise wearing masks in public, but he's stopped short of a statewide mandate, instead putting it in the hands of local governments.
All three South Florida counties, along with the Florida Keys, now require masks in public places.
