MIAMI — Super Bowl 54 might have contributed to the spread of the novel coronavirus’ in South Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
DeSantis believes the virus was probably circulating in Miami-Dade when more than 62,000 people crammed into Hard Rock Stadium for the big game Feb. 2, the Associated Press reported.
“I can tell you in terms of how this has spread in Florida,” DeSantis said Wednesday on Fox News. “We think it’s Floridians who traveled internationally and brought it back, international travelers who came to Florida, people from New York who have come to Florida, and then Floridians who have gone to New York City and brought it back.”
The U.S. only had eight confirmed cases — none of which were in Florida — at the time of kick off, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That, however, could be due to Florida only testing people who had recently traveled to China.
Florida now has more than 8,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases along with 128 virus-related deaths as of Thursday afternoon. Most of the cases originated in South Florida, with Miami-Dade having a state-high 2,448.
DeSantis issued statewide stay-at-home order on Wednesday that will go into effect Friday and last until April 30.
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