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Brevard County closes to tourists as officials urge locals to stay home

Beaches and boat ramps remain open

Brevard County leaders call for drive-thru coronavirus testing site

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Officials in Brevard County provided an update Thursday to discuss restrictions following a stay-at-home order after coronavirus cases rose in Florida, including the decision to close the county to visitors.

According to Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Brevard County will be closed to tourists starting Thursday night.

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The announcement from Brevard County comes one day after Gov. Ron Desantis ordered a stay-at-home order for the entire state.

Residents in Brevard County will still be allowed to go out to get essential supplies, including food, groceries and gas.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said beaches and boat ramps will remain open but Ivey urged the community to practice social distancing.

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the county had 48 positive cases of the coronavirus, with 15 patients in the hospital and 6 people on ventilators, officials said.

Brevard County Health Officer Maria Stahl said the community should expect the number of cases to increase as time goes on.

Of the 48 cases, Stahl said 18 of the cases were not associated with travel or contact with another COVID-19 case. She said that shows the virus is being spread by the community.

The county, which does not have any drive-thru testing sites, is currently going over models in hopes to have a drive-thru site sometime next week, according to Public Safety Director Matt Wallace.

For questions or concerns, officials ask those in the community to refer to their website, Brevardfl.gov.

To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter or go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.


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