Infectious disease specialist: Florida ‘heading a million miles an hour in the wrong direction’

An infectious disease specialist is warning that Florida is “heading a million miles an hour in the wrong direction” in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Right now, we are heading a million miles an hour in the wrong direction,” Aileen Marty, an expert who helped write Miami-Dade’s reopening rules, told “CBS This Morning.”

She added, however, that people are not following the rules, which is playing a role in the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the area.

“It’s absolutely the saddest thing, the most unnecessary situation that we’re finding ourselves in,” Marty said. “And it’s behaviorally driven.” 

Her warning comes as Florida recorded 10,109 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest single-day increase for the state. There are now more than 175,000 confirmed cases in Florida.

The state has seen back-to-back record-breaking days of coronavirus cases, and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has said the state will not reverse course on its reopening.

“We’re not going back, closing things,” he said on Wednesday. “I don’t think that that’s really what’s driving it. People going to a business is not what’s driving it. I think when you see the younger folks — I think a lot of it is more just social interactions, so that’s natural.”

The climbing cases have prompted fears of further outbreaks over the July Fourth weekend. In response to those concerns, Miami-Dade County in announced it was imposing a curfew this weekend.

The curfew, starting each night at 10 p.m. and lasting until 6 a.m. the next morning, will be implemented “until further notice,” said Carlos Giménez , the county’s mayor.

Florida is one of the states being hit hardest by COVID-19 right now, making up about 20 percent of new cases in the U.S.

Texas, Arizona and California area also reporting record-high daily case increases.