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Florida’s COVID-19 trend moved in a positive direction once again on Wednesday. After a slight increase on Tuesday, breaking a near three-week downward trend, Florida reported 10,723 new COVID-19 cases. Florida’s weekly trend for cases is now the lowest since July 25th. As for hospitalizations for COVID-19, they continue to rapidly decline with 505 fewer Floridians hospitalized with the virus on Wednesday.
In other news, federal Judge Michael Moore, out of Miami, rejected an attempt to stay the state’s ban on school mask mandates without parental opt out. The lawsuit brought by parents of special needs children challenging the state’s ban on school mask mandates sought an injunction. While being declined, Judge Moore indicated the plaintiffs were unlikely to win on the merits of the case. School mask mandates without parental opt-outs remain illegal in Florida despite 12 districts maintaining the policy including Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties.
Lastly, today is the day Florida’s ban on vaccine passports is backed with fines of $5,000 per person. Private businesses mandating proof of vaccination for their employees and the cruise industry are exempted.