He said an increase in testing across the state had also contributed to the rise, even as he cautioned that there had been an “erosion of social distancing among the younger population.” “As you test more, you find more,” he said.

…public health officials point to the easing of restrictions at businesses such as bars and restaurants, and a lack of social distancing among many beach-goers, among other factors, to help explain the rise. Some businesses in the state have had to reclose after employees fell ill. Apple on Friday said it was temporarily closing 11 retail stores across four states — Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Arizona — amid the surge in infections.

“Governor DeSantis has lost control of Florida’s Covid-19 response,” said Nikki Fried, the agricultural commissioner and only Democrat elected to statewide office, who has previously complained at being shut out of DeSantis’s recovery taskforce. “His policies are simply not working and he’s recklessly reopening Florida despite the data screaming for caution. Refusing to acknowledge the alarming patterns in cases, hospitalizations and positivity is not only arrogant but will cost lives, public health and our economy,” Fried added