As the coronavirus approached its peak in New York and other hard-hit parts of the country, many people looked to Florida as the next hot spot. I was one of them. I argued back in April that Gov. Ron DeSantis’s hesitation to adopt early, statewide preventive measures could become problematic, given the rising number of confirmed cases in heavily populated areas, such as Miami, and rural hospitals’ lack of preparedness.

But the anticipated disaster never occurred. The worst of the state’s outbreak has thus far been contained in a handful of populous South Florida counties. The average of new cases has steadily declined over the past few weeks, and the average of new deaths has largely plateaued.