face mask

Local COVID-19 restrictions can no longer be enforced following an executive order signed Monday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor says his directive is meant to accelerate the state’s economic recovery amid greater COVID-19 vaccine availability.

As Florida lawmakers move quickly to try to shield businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits, a Miami-Dade County circuit judge has refused to dismiss a case against Publix Super Markets that stems from the COVID-19 death of a deli worker.

An estimated 1,700 in-person school days were lost as a result of COVID-19 isolation and quarantining -- and one person died -- after a two-day wrestling tournament that featured athletes from 10 high schools across three Florida counties, according to federal study released Tuesday.

Emphasizing that his focus remains on Florida's elderly population, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said teachers and school staff should not expect to be prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19 --- at least for now.

An appeals court has tossed out a challenge by the Leon County Republican Party chairman to a county requirement that people wear face masks to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The number of Florida long-term care residents and staff members who have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic topped 7,000 on Sunday, while the state saw an overall jump of more than 10,000 cases of the infectious disease.

Leon County Superintendent Rocky Hanna says he noticed a problem after visiting dozens of classrooms with masked students.

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal, in a 31-page decision, flatly rejected the conclusions of Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson, who in August sided with teachers unions that challenged Corcoran’s order. The unions argued, at least in part, that the order violated a constitutional guarantee of “safe” and “secure” public education.

Leon County's mask mandate will stay in place for the time being. The county won't have much recourse if people ignore the rule. An executive order signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last week blocks local governments from collecting fines associated with mask ordinances. But county officials say that might not be as significant a change as some would think.

More than 700 coronavirus cases have been linked to K-12 schools and higher-education institutions over the course of two weeks as students and employees began returning to campuses across the state, according to a Florida Department of Health report made public Monday.