Gov. DeSantis issues stay-at-home order in Florida beginning Friday

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he will issue a stay-at-home order in Florida due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The order says “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 also says “senior citizens and individuals with a significant underlying medical condition should stay at home and take all measures to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

Read: Orange County testing site reaches maximum amount of tests given during first day of criteria expansion

Only essential services will be allowed to operate and individuals are allowed to participate in “essential activities."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Miami-Dade County officials created a list of essential services that the order will allow.

The list of services will be available on the Division of Emergency Management’s website and the Florida Department of Health’s website.

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

The order encourages individuals to work from home.

All businesses or organizations are encouraged to provide delivery, carry-out or curbside service outside of the business or organization, according to the order.

The order also limits gathering in public spaces. Groups of people greater than 10 are not permitted to congregate in any public space.

According to the order, “essential activities” include:

• Attending religious services conducted in churches, synagogues and houses of worship.
• Participating in recreational activities such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running or swimming.
• Taking care of pets.

The order will be effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday and expires on April 30.

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