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Coronavirus Live Updates: State COVID Cases Top 51,000, Floridians Hit The Beach For Holiday Weekend

Wayne K. Roustan
/
South Florida Sun Sentinel
South Floridians returned to Boca Raton beach on Saturday as the state number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 50,000.

This post will be updated today, Monday, May 25, with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.

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WLRN staff continues to add to community resource lists, including this article on where kids and families can get food while schools are closed, and this post about whether and where to get tested for the coronavirus.

The dedicated website for the Florida Department of Health, including information about symptoms and numbers of cases, can be found here. The dedicated website from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found here.

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QUICK UPDATES

State Case Toll Passes 51,000

Updated Monday at 12:43 p.m.

Florida blew past 51,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections as the number of daily confirmed cases continued to rise in the state.

Monday’s report from the Florida Department of Health added another 879 confirmed cases to the state total that now stands at 51,746. Of that, the South Florida pandemic epicenter — Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe counties — accounted for 429, or 48.8 percent.

South Florida had nine of the 15 newly reported deaths that pushed the state death toll to 2,252.

Read more from our news partner the Miami Herald

-David J. Neal / Miami Herald

Dry Tortugas National Park Reopens — For Those Who Can Get There

Updated Monday at 9:36 a.m.

Beginning Monday, Dry Tortugas National Park is opening outdoor areas on Garden Key, including Fort Jefferson, as well as Loggerhead Key, from sunrise to sunset. The $15 entrance fee has been reinstated.

The ferry and seaplane services bringing people from Key West are not running yet. That means you've got to get to the remote park, which is located 70 miles from Key West, on your own.

The marine waters of the park continue to be open. Concession tours, the campground, the visitor center and bookstore and all visitor programs are still closed.

The Florida Keys remain closed to visitors until June 1, which is when the checkpoint at the county line will be lifted. Hotels and vacation rentals can also reopen that day.

-Nancy Klingener / WLRN News

Floridians Hit The Beach For Memorial Day Weekend, State's Cases Pass 50,000

Updated Monday at 8 a.m.

The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Florida continued to push past 50,000 as people returned to reopened beaches, restaurants and retailers over Memorial Day weekend.

And over half of the cases — 28,743 — have been confirmed in South Florida, the state reported Sunday.

So far, 2,237 people across Florida have died from COVID-19, which is an increase of four deaths over the past 24 hours and 264 over the last week, according to the Department of Health.

-Skyler Swisher / Sun Sentinel

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