No, Gov. DeSantis, Florida has not 'flattened the curve'

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that the state "has flattened the curve."
• That is false.
• Florida reported 1,413 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday – a new record.
• Since then, new daily cases in the state are steady, not declining.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) was triumphant Tuesday, announcing on "Fox & Friends" that the Sunshine State would soon return to regular life.

"Florida has flattened the curve," DeSantis said.

But that is not true.

On Friday, Florida reported its worst day yet, confirming 1,413 new coronavirus cases and 58 new deaths in 24 hours.

The curve, according to Florida Department of Health data, is not flattening off. On Saturday, the state recorded 763 new cases. Then 736 on Sunday. And 776 more the next day. On Tuesday, when DeSantis spoke on "Fox & Friends," it had 943 new cases.

Since Friday's high-point, the daily number of confirmed cases is steady – not declining, as DeSantis claimed.

There are now at least 28,309 cases across the state.

The governor is preparing Floridians to get back to work, however.

"You can do both," he said. "You can continue to fight COVID-19 but also get people back to work and have society function again."

On Monday, he convened an economic task force, which includes 23 CEOS, four mayors, and three lawmakers, to chart out the return. There are no medical researchers or public health experts on the committee.

At a press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis hedged slightly, telling reporters that even if the curve were flattening, "it doesn't mean the work is done," Politico reported.

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