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News about coronavirus in Florida and around the world is constantly emerging. It's hard to stay on top of it all but Health News Florida can help. Our responsibility is to keep you informed, and to help discern what’s important for your family as you make what could be life-saving decisions.

Counties Hardest Hit By Virus To Begin Slowly Reopening

Red and gray 3D model of COVID-19. Looks like a sphere with red trees on it.
CDC
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The two Florida counties hit hardest by coronavirus infections will start to slowly reopen. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that Miami-Dade and Broward counties will begin allowing restaurants and retail stores to open at limited capacities.

It's similar to what DeSantis allowed in the rest of the state on May 4. Meanwhile, another 221,000 Floridians filed for unemployment benefits last week, even as restaurants and retail shops started re-opening with limitations.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that 221,905 new jobless claims were filed in Florida last week, up a quarter from the 174,860 claims filed the previous week.

Florida’s unemployment system has been widely criticized for its difficulty in filing claims and also for delays in getting payments.