STATEWIDE — Students across the state of Florida will stay out of school at least through April 15, and all testing has been suspended in the latest effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.

K-12 graduation, promotion and course grades will be assessed as though the testing did not exist.

Parents will be allowed to choose to keep their children back a year, the governor said.

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DeSantis isn't ready to say that students in K-12 schools are in virtual schools for the rest of the semester. If the spread of COVID-19 is stopped, the state may reopen schools in April. But testing is suspended either way.

The state education commissioner may also adjust school instruction hour requirements as needed because of closures.

K-12 school districts are directed to help low-income students buy digital devices using unspent funds and establish internet connection for virtual learning. School districts can also use unspent funds to pay for "virtual, telephonic, and mental health services for students who need help due to the outbreak of COVID-19."

Four counties in the state — Duval, Collier, Union, and Sumter — were ready to come back from spring break. Starting Monday, they will start on some modified virtual learning program. All other districts are staying home.

As the other school districts return from the two-week spring break, they will do something similar with remote learning through April 15. 

The state will decide, depending on how COVID-19 runs its course, whether to extend virtual learning through the end of year.

DeSantis underscores COVID-19 testing criteria

DeSantis said he talked to Sen. Marco Rubio and they both agree that people are going to need more help with economic relief because of COVID-19.

"We encourage any Floridian whose employment has been negatively impacted by the result of COVID-19 to go to http://floridajobs.org and click on 'Re-Employment Assistance Service Center to learn more about the program."

Those who qualify to get tested for COVID-19 include:

  • Elderly or 55+ who have symptoms of COVID-19
  • If you're younger than 55 and have an underlying medical condition and have symptoms of COVID-19
  • If you're hospitalized with pneumonia for an unknown cause

Meanwhile, late Tuesday the Florida Department of Health updated the total number of positive cases in the state to 216 and revealed that a person who tested positive for the virus in Manatee County had died.

State orders bars, nightclubs closed

Elsewhere, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Florida has almost reached 200, state health officials said Tuesday.

There were 173 Florida residents and at least 18 nonresidents who have tested positive in the state, according to the Florida Department of Health.

These include two new positive cases each in Orange and Osceola counties.

Gov. Ron DeSantis also announced that four University of Florida students have tested positive for coronavirus. At least one had engaged in international travel, he said. The death of a 77-year old man at an assisted living facility in Broward County is being investigated as related to the coronavirus, the governor said. 

In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, DeSantis announced that all bars and nightclubs in the state will be suspended for the next 30 days starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Traditional restaurants are not included. 

The decision affects employees and customers of businesses like The Patio in Tampa.

"The first thing that we think about is our staff, our families, the health of everybody around us,” said co-owner Mark Newkirk.

Concerns for the business owner also turn to finances.

"We've got 25 or so employees that depend on people coming out and this is how they pay their rent, their mortgage, their electric bills, things of that nature," Newkirk said.

Meanwhile in Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer announced that bars, nightclubs, and restaurants would not be allowed to sell alcohol in the city, though he later issued a clarification.

"Effective immediately and until March 31, all persons are prohibited from selling or distributing alcoholic beverages with or without payment for consumption on premises," he said. "We are not closing establishments, but we are prohibiting the sale for on-premise consumption of alcoholic beverages in the entirety of Orlando."

Dyer later clarified that the proclamation would apply to bars, nightclubs, and taverns within city limits, and restaurants would still be allowed to sell alcohol as long as the restaurant's occupancy was limited to 50% and group sizes would be limited.

The mayor's measure does not apply to stores where alcohol is sold.

Universities Extend Remote Instruction

The State University System of Florida has extended remote instruction at its each state university through the end of the spring semester in an effort to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Officials also said that on-campus commencement ceremonies will not be held in May.

"Instead, each university is directed to develop an alternate schedule or method of delivery," officials said Tuesday.

Officials also recommended that students who can return home "should return home."

The decision comes after the CDC recommended against gatherings of 10 people or more. 

Private universities like the University of Tampa followed suit with similar announcements on Tuesday.

An email sent by University of Tampa President Ronald L. Vaughn asked students not to return to campus after spring break and informed them that online courses will continue through the rest of this semester in an effort to reduce in-person contact and stop the spread of the virus. 

UT also canceled its scheduled graduation ceremony. About 1400 UT students were expected to graduate in the coming weeks. The administration now has to come up with another way to celebrate that milestone.

Dean of Students Stephanie Russell Krebs said while this was not an easy decision, it was a necessary one.

“We want to minimize the amount of students on campus so we can minimize the risk to our community,” said Krebs. “This has been completely new and our community is coming together to figure out how to move forward.”

Coronavirus an "Invisible Enemy," Trump Says

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called coronavirus the "invisible enemy" and described it as "unknown, but we're getting to know it a lot better."

Trump said if Americans follow guidelines from the CDC and local officials, "one day we'll be standing up here and saying, 'Well, we won.'"

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he did not anticipate the markets being shut down, adding that Americans need to know they have access to their money. He said when the market shut down after 9/11, it was because of damaged technology.

Vice President Mike Pence called on Americans to avoid social gatherings and stay home if they are not feeling well.

"You don't need the results of a testing to know what you should do," Pence said.

National, international developments

  • The governor of Nevada has ordered the closure of casinos and restaurants to fight spread of the coronavirus.
  • California's governor says few, if any, schools are likely to reopen this school year due to the virus.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.