ORLANDO: Florida reported a record increase of more than 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours on Sunday (Jul 12), a day after Walt Disney World in Orlando reopened and anti-mask activists held a rally at a nearby restaurant.
If Florida were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases in a day behind the United States, Brazil and India, according to a Reuters analysis.
Florida's daily increases in cases have already surpassed the highest daily tally reported by any European country during the height of the pandemic there. Florida has also broken New York state's record of 12,847 new cases on Apr 10 when it was the epicentre of the US outbreak.
Walt Disney Co welcomed a limited number of guests to its two most popular parks in Orlando on Saturday with a host of safety measures including masks and temperature checks.