Fact Check: Did the state of Florida open its beaches for the public?

In light of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, countries across the world have been put under lockdown. While there are many who are getting the complete consent of the public, there are some places where the people are not too happy about the prospect of staying at home. Some governments are also reluctant to close down the working of their country. In a recent rumour on the internet, it was claimed that the beaches in Florida were reopened and the people are out and having fun even after the number of cases in the country is increasing.

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Claim:

The claim on social media and other internet news sources say that the beaches in Florida have been reopened. People have taken to these beaches and are enjoying their time on the beach. Photos from the beaches as people walk around without any care of social distancing and protection are flooding the internet.

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Rating: True

The beaches in Florida have indeed been reopened. As per an article in a news source, the governor Ron DeSantis gave a thumbs up to the reopening and said that people can visit while keeping in mind all the rules of social distancing. DeSantis told reporters that he believed that the states must open the parks and beaches if need be, and do it in a safe way. The beaches opened at 5 PM and were immediately flocked up by Floridians enjoying the sunlight.

Florida beaches were reopened and people are out to enjoy the summer

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Origin:

As per a local news report, the areas that have been reopened belong to North Florida, which includes Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, and Atlantic Beach. Recreational activities like walking, biking, hiking, fishing, running, swimming, taking care of pets and surfing became a part of 'essential activities' that are permitted at the beach. The beaches will be open from 6 AM to 11 AM in the morning while the evening timings are 5 PM to 8 PM.

People started going on the beaches as soon as it was announced that they will be reopened. While there were people on the beaches, there were also Floridians who condemned this behaviour and took to Twitter to share their disagreement. People started trending the hashtag Florida Morons and talked about how it is sad to see that people are not taking the pandemic seriously even after more than 1000 new cases come up every day. 

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Google Trends Analysis

The Google Trends show that people have been searching for the news on the internet. The searches saw a peak at 8.30 PM on April 18. There was another rise in the searches on April 20 at 8.30 AM as well. 

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