Florida Governor Ron DeSantis renewed the COVID-19 emergency order first issued in 2020 for an additional 60 days Tuesday afternoon. The order allows the governor to activate the National Guard and activate the state Emergency Operations Center if needed. A number of local communities have their mask-mandates tied to the state order which would have been lifted had the order been allowed to lapse. The original order also allows healthcare workers licensed in other states to practice in Florida during the emergency. Citing a ‘manageable trend in COVID-19 cases’ and ‘over 8.5 million vaccinated individuals… the state should prepare to resume non-emergency operations,’ the governor said in the latest order. A mask mandate remains in effect for Palm Beach County.

The Governor just issued an executive order to extend Florida’s state of emergency due to the #COVID19Pandemic The order, set to expire at midnight, cited the “continuing threat to the health, safety and welfare of the State of Florida and its residents.” https://t.co/uyui6jXNLw pic.twitter.com/Xkt9nrTsLV

— DOHLeon@healthyleonFL (@healthyleonfl) April 27, 2021