Manatee County resident dies of COVID-19
A person who tested positive for COVID-19 has died in Manatee County, the Florida Department of Health announced on Tuesday afternoon. It is the seventh confirmed death due to the disease in Florida.
No other details were provided about the death.
The total number of cases of the disease in Manatee County rose to seven on Tuesday. The sixth cases was included in the department’s morning update and the seventh was included in an evening update. Both of the new cases were found in men.
Specific information about the latest Manatee County cases has not yet been made public.
As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Florida now has a total of 216 positive cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Among cases, 195 are Florida residents, including six people who have tested positive outside of the state. The remaining 21 cases are non-Florida residents who have tested positive in Florida.
Of the current 216 cases in Florida, 58 cases involve someone who has traveled before testing positive and 42 cases involve someone who has tested positive after having direct contact with someone else who has tested positive.
Statewide there have been seven deaths as a result of COVID-19. During a news conference Tuesday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis provided details about the sixth death, a 77-year-old man who was living at an assisted living facility in Broward County.
Last week, DeSantis acknowledged that there was evidence of community spread in Florida. As the number of cases continued to rise, on Tuesday morning he ordered that all bars and nightclubs statewide close entirely for the next 30 days as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.
All restaurants have also been ordered to reduce capacity by 50 percent and to maintain distance of six feet between patrons.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 11:28 AM.
