Orange County

TIMELINE: Coronavirus - Saturday, March 28

ORLANDO, Fla. — State health officials said that there are 4,038 positive COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths in Florida. Read live updates below:


10:40 p.m. update

Nearly 1,000 people were tested for COVID-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in its first week of operation.

Officials said 997 people were tested, including 250 people who tested Saturday.

Testing is available only for individuals who are 65 years of age or older who have COVID-19 symptoms, first responders and healthcare workers.

It is not known how many people tested positive for the virus.


8:50 p.m. update

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood released his nightly note with cases in the county.

According to the Florida Department of Health, a 65-year-old man who tested positive has died. He had no recent travel history and did not come in contact anyone with the virus.

No other information was made available.

You can read Chitwood’s statement below:


7:55 p.m. update

The Florida Department of Transportation said drivers who are traveling from areas with substantial community spread in Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will be required to isolate for a period of 14 days upon entry to Florida or for the duration of their visit.

Officials said the order does not apply to those who are military, emergency, health or infrastructure response or anyone involved in commercial activity, including those who live in Georgia and commute to work in Florida.


7:30 p.m. update

All St. Johns County beaches are closed to the public effective 6 a.m. Sunday.

Officials said the beaches will remain closed until further notice.


6:27 p.m. update

The Florida Department of Health said there are now 4,038 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 56 deaths in the state.

That is an additional 275 cases and two deaths since the agency’s last report, which was released Saturday morning.

Orange County officials announced earlier that there are 206 cases in the county, including one infant.

Click here to see a map of cases in Florida.


4:10 p.m. update

Orlando International Airport officials said seven TSA workers have tested positive for COVID-19.


3:50 p.m. update

Orange County leaders said there are 206 cases of COVID-19 in the county, including an infant that tested positive for the virus.

Health officials said the infant is 11 months old.

Officials said the median age is 47 and there have been four deaths in the county.


3:40 p.m. update

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is giving a live update on the county’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to watch live.

Download the WFTV news app and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for live updates on this developing story, or click here to have updates sent straight to your inbox.


3:10 p.m. update

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is giving a live update on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to watch live.


2:10 p.m. update

President Donald Trump said he has spoken with some governors and is considering some type of an enforceable quarantine to prevent people in New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut from traveling.

He told reporters at the White House that it would be for a "short period of time, if we do it at all."

WATCH: Senior citizens in downtown Orlando high-rise flicker their lights in show of support for doctors, nurses

The president said he has spoken with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and New York’s Andrew Cuomo.

New York is the country’s epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuomo said at a briefing in New York that he didn't talk about any quarantine during a conversation with Trump earlier Saturday.

Read: How to be safe when ordering out amid COVID-19

Trump is seeing off the USNS Comfort, a naval hospital ship, from Naval Station Norfolk.

It is headed to New York City, where it will help ease the strain on the city’s hospitals from the coronavirus pandemic. See video of the sendoff below:


1:05 p.m. update

Marion County officials said it received reports of eight additional cases of COVID-19 overnight for a total of 17 cases.

The cases involve people ranging in age from 19 to 88.

Read: Orange County, Osceola County stay-at-home order: What does it mean?

Officials said 12 of those affected are Ocala residents, and there is one case each in Belleview, Dunnellon, Ocklawaha and Summerfield. They said there is also a case involving an out-of-state visitor.

Seven of the eight new cases involved people who said they traveled from international or domestic locations affected by COVID-19, officials said.


11:35 a.m. update

The Florida Department of Health said there are now 3,763 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 54 deaths in the state.

That is an additional 565 cases and eight deaths since the agency’s last report, which was released Friday evening.

Of the cases, 3608 cases involve Florida residents and 155 cases involve nonresidents. Click here to see a map of cases in Florida.

Click here to watch live, in-depth coverage of the pandemic on Channel 9 Eyewitness News at Noon.


10:12 a.m. update

A professor of anesthesiology at the University of Florida is building an open-source ventilator out of items consumers can buy from hardware stores. Click here to see the device.


8:45 a.m. update

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a live news conference at 2:30 p.m. to give an update on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bookmark this page to watch it live once it begins, or download the free WFTV news app here to receive a notification once it begins.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said it and the Florida National Guard will keep an eye on things at a COVID-19 testing site at the Orange County Convention Center, which was scheduled to open at 9 a.m.

See what Orange County looked like Thursday, the first day of the county’s 14-day stay-at-home order:


6:40 a.m. update

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ordering that anyone arriving in the state from Louisiana must self-quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic.

DeSantis said Friday he is expanding his quarantine order to include Louisiana after officials in the lightly hit Panhandle worried that people will flee New Orleans as the number of positive tests there climb.

The order will require anyone who arrives from Louisiana to isolate themselves for two weeks under the threat of a misdemeanor conviction and a 60-day jail sentence.

He already issued identical restrictions on travelers arriving from the New York area.

DeSantis said the Florida Highway Patrol will set up checkpoints to screen cars arriving from Louisiana.


5:30 a.m. update

Nightly curfews in Orange and Osceola counties were lifted at 5 a.m. They go into effect each night at 11 p.m.

However, the counties remain under stay-at-home orders. Click here to read what that means.

See: Portions of Central Florida empty on first full day of stay-at-home orders

SeaWorld said Friday that it had indefinitely furloughed 90% of its staff. Click here to read a full timeline of Friday’s coverage.

Click here to watch live, in-depth coverage of the coronavirus pandemic right now on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

“Coronavirus

Jason Kelly

Jason Kelly, WFTV.com

Jason Kelly joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2014. He serves as the station's Digital Executive Producer.

Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.