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Gov. DeSantis announces Florida task force to help reopen state

When is it safe and appropriate to reopen the state? That's what the task force will determine.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There is one question on most Americans' minds — when will this pandemic be over? Florida is already looking for those answers.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he is building a task force to look into reopening the state.

"We obviously got to be thinking what the next steps are for the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “I know the president has been talking about the reopening of the country…”

DeSantis noted while they still do not know everything at this point about the coronavirus and are watching the data updates down to every minute, it is important to start planning for the future.

That’s why he is putting together a task force to help with the re-opening and resurgence in order to help Florida get back to a healthy, functioning society. The task force will be made up of elected leaders and economic, health and educational leaders. Names will be announced later this week.

“I’ll be seeking advice and ideas on pretty much everything under the sun,” DeSantis said, outlining everything from travel to agricultural assistance.

Reopening states also are at the front of President Donald Trump’s mind. On Wednesday during a task force news briefing, he shared that reopening states may be closer than we thought.

"We think some of the states can actually open before the deadline of May 1," Trump said.

The potential move comes after the president says data suggests we have moved "past the peak" on new cases nationwide. 

But not all health care leaders are on the same page. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health released a COVID-19 plan to help alleviate the burden on our healthcare systems, ease social distancing and allow people to return to work or school. 

To accomplish that they say the U.S. needs to first, "implement a robust and comprehensive system to identify all COVID-19 cases and trace all close contacts of each identified case." 

Even Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees' warned against the public letting its guard down when it comes to the coronavirus. He told Floridians they need to keep social distancing until there is a vaccine, which could be a year or more away.

"As long as we are going to have COVID-19 in the environment...we are going to have to practice these measures so we are all protected," Rivkees said during a press conference Monday.

RELATED: President Trump unveils 'Guidelines for opening up America again'

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