Coronavirus Florida: As cases near 39,000, wild fires ignite in Panhandle

The wildfires, that erupted in an area of the state that has seen a relatively low number of coronavirus cases, comes as Palm Beach County officials want DeSantis to lift restrictions that have paralyzed the economy and thrown thousands of people out of work.

But, even as county officials argue that there are signs of recovery, another 118 confirmed cases and seven deaths were reported in the county on Thursday by the Florida Department of Health.

The county's death toll from the coronavirus now stands at 231. Statewide, 1,667 people have succumbed to the highly contagious respiratory disease. On its website, the health department reports 1,600 deaths in Florida because it doesn't include the 67 out-of-state residents who died here.

Of the state's 38,828 confirmed cases, 3,598 are in Palm Beach County.

While the number of new cases has slowed in recent days, they have increased 15.3 statewide and 21.4 percent in the county since last Thursday.

Further, the number of deaths at elder care facilities soared. An additional 45 deaths at nursing homes were reported on Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 622. That's 37 percent of all COVID-19 fatalities statewide.

In Palm Beach County, 69 residents or staff have died, nearly a third of the county's death toll, state health officials reported.

County commissioners have asked DeSantis to let it join 64 of the state's 67 counties where retailers and restaurants this week were allowed to open at 25 percent capacity. The county was left out because it is lumped in with Miami and Broward counties, which have been hard-hit by the pandemic.

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