ORLANDO, Fla. — During a Tuesday news conference to update the state about COVID-19, Gov. Ron DeSantis said 260 employees at Orlando International Airport had tested positive for the virus.
This positive cases came after nearly 500 people were tested recently for coronavirus, according to WKMG in Orlando.
However, on Wednesday, the airport released a statement saying DeSantis' statement was incorrect. According to Chief Executive Phil Brown, of the 500 airport workers who were tested, only two had positive results.
Brown said between mid-March and through June 6, 132 employees tested positive for the virus. The other 128 people who had tested positive in that time frame were not airport employees but "were linked or (had) traceable connections to the 132 individuals that work at MCO, for a total of 260 individuals," the statement reads.
"I hope this information clarifies what can be a confusing mix of data for the traveling public," Brown said. "We continue to work with all of our health department officials to ensure all is being done to keep the traveling public and our employees safe at Orlando International Airport."
On Wednesday, Florida reported another 2,610 new cases of coronavirus, which is slightly lower than the record set Tuesday.
The spike in newly-confirmed cases comes as state leaders point to an increase in overall coronavirus testing. More than 1.48 million people have been tested in the state so far. The latest "percent positive" rate reported by the state was 4.24 percent.
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