According to new data, Florida shouldn’t reopen before June 14

DORAL, FL – As state leaders start to gradually reopen public spaces and businesses, new data of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington shows that Florida shouldn’t reopen before June 14. 

After that date, “relaxing social distancing may be possible with containment strategies that include testing, contact tracing, isolation, and limiting gathering size,” states a source of the institute cited in an article by Fox 51.

According to the Miami Herald, this projection is based on an estimate known as Ro, pronounced R-naught, which represents “the estimated number of new infections projected to stem from a single case, also known as the basic reproductive number.”

A green light for governors to reopen their states would take place if the Ro falls below 1, because it means the number of new cases is decreasing. On the other side, if Ro rises above 1, it means the number of new cases is growing, which ultimately could translate into going back to lockdown.

In recent days, Governor Ron DeSantis gathered a team integrated by the mayors of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, among others, to answer the big questions of how and when to reopen the state in a safe manner.

Country wise, a few days ago President Donald Trump provided a road map to governors for recovering from the economic crisis that the coronavirus pandemic has left.

The U.S. leader displayed such road map in phases in order to restore normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases.

But regardless of the phase in which a particular place is in, what it is true more than anything is that individuals and businesses will be required to follow guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control to be able to open back. 

And what does Floridians think about this scenario? Quinnipiac University’s latest poll says 72% of Florida voters feel the state should not loosen social distancing rules by the end of April, while 22% thought the move would be appropriate, as reported by Fox 51. 

In the meantime and despite this new data, a statewide stay-at-home order remains in place until April 30.

As of 9:00 a.m. Friday, April 24, the Florida Department of Health reported 29,648 COVID-19 cases in Florida, while the death toll is at 987.