Ron DeSantis reverses course and will issue stay-at-home order for Florida

“I’m going to be doing an executive order today directing all Floridians to limit movements and personal interactions outside the home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities,” the governor said.

The governor had been criticized by some for refusing to shutter Florida completely as other states with far fewer coronavirus infections already have done.

DeSantis has consistently said he would take federal guidance into account in deciding future moves for the state. The governor pointed out that the administration announced over the weekend it was extending social distancing guidance for another 30 days.

“It makes sense to make this move now,” DeSantis said Wednesday. He also said he consulted with President Trump on the matter.

“I did consult with folks in the White House. I did speak with the president about it, he agreed with the approach of focusing on the hot spots, but at the same time, he understood that this is another 30-day situation, and you have to do what makes the most sense,” DeSantis said.

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Florida has the fifth-most cases of any state, with more than 6,700 infections and at least 85 deaths. The number of infected people has nearly doubled in the past four days. Florida was the only state of the nine states with more than 5,000 cases that had not issued some form of stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order.

Schools across the state have already been canceled. After videos of spring breakers flooding crowded beaches proliferated social media, the governor made the decision to close beaches in the state.

As of Tuesday evening, 29 of Florida’s 67 counties had 10 or fewer infections, although state health officials have cautioned that the low number of cases in some counties could result from lack of testing rather than just lack of COVID-19 infections. DeSantis previously said that low levels of coronavirus in some counties would make a statewide order unfair to places with few or no confirmed cases.

He was criticized by Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden, who asked DeSantis to “explain why” his administration was not heeding the “science-based” advice from health experts who contend a statewide order would help contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The virus is particularly deadly for the elderly, and Florida has one of the oldest average populations in the country.