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Florida’s trend for new COVID-19 cases continued to improve on Monday as the state reported 14,261 new cases, the second straight day below twenty thousand and over three thousand lower than the previous Monday. Furthermore, Florida’s total hospitalizations for COVID-19 fell to 17,143 on Monday. Currently, 92.8% of hospital beds are in use, 29.9% of which are with COVID-19 patients.
In the Leon County trial considering school mask mandates, the state presented evidence that showed that in the school districts which imposed mask mandates last year, 4.8% of students contracted COVID-19. In the districts without mask mandates 5% of students contracted COVID-19, meaning the difference between mask mandates and no mask mandates was only 0.2% during the 2020-2021 school year. A decision in the case is expected Thursday.
A Goldman Sachs review of states which pulled back on federal extended unemployment benefits showed states like Florida which ended the federal benefits experienced a 6% greater increase in job seekers compared to states which left them in place. Additionally, there was a direct connection between the average income earned in specific industries and job search activity.