DeSantis issues statewide stay-at-home order in Florida. Manatee officials are in support
Local officials are in support of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to issue a stay-at-home order for 30 days throughout Florida to limit the spread of COVID-19.
DeSantis announced the executive order Wednesday afternoon. Starting at 12:01 a.m. early Friday morning, “all persons in Florida shall limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities,” the order says.
According to the order, the list of essential businesses is based on one created by Miami-Dade County officials. That list includes grocery stores, health care providers, gas stations, banks, hardware stores, restaurants, airlines and many more businesses.
Reached for comment Wednesday afternoon, local officials said the order was the right call to make and should help limit the spread of the virus that has already killed 87 people in the state.
“The list of essential businesses is very long and I think the message in the short term is that everyone is essential,” said Jake Saur, Manatee County’s public safety director.
“What I mean by that is that either your actions are essential either because of the work you do or by taking the right action and staying home to limit your exposure,” he explained.
As of Wednesday evening, Saur said there are no plans to re-open public areas, like beaches and tennis courts, that have already been closed. Public officials are set to discuss the impact of the stay-at-home order Wednesday night and throughout Thursday.
“I’m glad, to be honest because I think overall in our area, most people are already abiding by the stay-at-home rules. You can tell the difference in the traffic and the businesses that have closed,” said county Commissioner Vanessa Baugh. “It’s a move in the right direction.”
“The whole month of April, we should do everything we possibly can to get this virus under control,” she added.
In a statement posted to Twitter Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, echoed that sentiment.
“I fully support the stay-at-home order issued by Gov. DeSantis because it reinforces that people should be taking serious steps to avoid spreading the COVID-19 virus,” Buchanan tweeted. “I have been getting calls recently from people throughout our region hoping the governor would take such action.”
Saur said local leaders plan to meet in the coming days to figure out how to enforce the stay-at-home order throughout Manatee County.
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 4:32 PM.
