The number of Florida residents testing positive for coronavirus has topped 150, with at least five deaths. New numbers put confirmed cases in Palm Beach County at eight.

Palm Beach County beaches and gyms began closing and elderly residents of nursing homes were on lockdown as officials Monday stepped up efforts to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus that has killed five Florida residents and sickened 160, including eight in Palm Beach County.

"We are in a public health emergency. This is new territory for everyone," said Kristen Knapp, a spokeswoman for the Florida Health Care Association.

While Knapp was talking about new restrictions placed on facilities that serve the elderly, she gave voice to the thoughts of tens of thousands who are adjusting to closed schools, canceled sporting events and empty grocery store shelves.

On Monday, when state officials announced yet another death and a dozen new infections, additional restrictions were placed on county residents’ everyday lives. LA Fitness, with 10 locations in the county, told members that its gyms would be closed until at least April 1.

Popular restaurants, such as Scusi Trattoria in Palm Beach Gardens and Grato in West Palm Beach, were closing. But not all were shutting down. Draft House Bar and Grille in North Palm Beach offered diners a wrapped roll of toilet paper ("while supplies last") when they bought a burger and a draft beer.

Further, officials in the town of Palm Beach, which had its first reported case, hung up "beach closed" signs along its shoreline, making even the sand and surf off-limits beginning Tuesday. Other coastal leaders said they were considering similar restrictions.

The measures, intended to spur all-important social distancing that health officials said is key to stopping COVID-19, came as the number of cases in Florida continued to grow. An Orange County resident died Monday, adding to the four elderly people who have already succumbed.

>>All Palm Beach County schools closed next week

However, even as people were given fewer and fewer reasons to leave their homes, voting will be held today as planned with the help of bottles and bottles of hand-sanitizer.

"This Is the most important election of our lifetime, so it’s important to get it right," said Joy Howell, communications director of the Florida Democratic Party, urging people to go to the polls, which features a contested Democratic presidential primary.

Three more county residents were added to the tally of COVID-19 victims when the Florida Department of Health released updated numbers at noon Monday.

Six men and two women, ranging in age from 37 to 76, have been stricken by the virus that had killed more than 6,500 worldwide, the health department said.

Like many of the victims throughout the state, five of the infected county residents had traveled overseas, state health officials said. It didn’t specify how the three others had been infected or give any details about where they lived.

Previously, health officials reported that four men, ages 37, 65, 73 and 74, and a 59-year-old woman had tested positive. Based on that information, it appears that one of the new cases is a woman. Another new case is someone who is 76 years old.

>>Cancellations mount for local festivals, events

One of the new cases is believed to be a JetBlue passenger who was quarantined after he arrived at Palm Beach International Airport on a flight from New York last week. He is believed to live in Majestic Isles, a community of 450 homes on Woolbright Road about a mile west of Military Trail.

The eight infected in Palm Beach County pales in comparison to the 39 who have tested positive in Broward County and 23 in Miami-Dade County.

Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in the state behind Miami-Dade and Broward, has the third most cases statewide. So far, there have been no cases reported in Martin, St. Lucie or Okeechobee counties.

Statewide, out of the 142 state residents and 18 visitors who have tested positive, 45 had traveled out of the county, state health officials said. Another 51 people had both been overseas and had contact with someone who tested positive.

However, in a sign that the virus is spreading among state residents, health officials said 32 of those who tested positive had contact with someone who was infected. The department said that 32 cases are under investigation.

There were some signs that other steps — beyond social-distancing — were being taken to curb the spread of COVID-19.

>>HOW TO PROPERLY WASH YOUR HANDS: To fight off the virus, read this

At a news conference Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was leaving decisions about bar, restaurant and beach closings to local officials. Not all of the state’s 67 counties are being affected equally and local officials know best how to protect their residents, he said.

But, he said, it was growing "hard to justify" the continued operation of nightclubs and bars. He said he planned to issue a statement on Tuesday about the continued operation of private businesses particularly since the CDC on Monday recommended restricting gatherings to no more than 10 people.

Still, DeSantis said, it will be a long time before state residents will be able to breathe easy. There is no question that the virus will continue to spread.

"These larger numbers will continue into the foreseeable future," DeSantis said.

Drive-through testing got underway at FoundCare, a nonprofit federally qualified health center in Palm Springs. Cars began lining up early in the parking lot of its building at 2330 S. Congress Ave.

By 9 a.m., more than 1,200 people had called the center, asking to be tested, officials said. But, they said, with just 150 test kits available, they would only test first-responders, healthcare workers and people older than 65 who are experiencing symptoms.

Those are the groups that should be targeted under guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they said.

DeSantis has promised that the availability of test kits could increase. On Sunday, he said about 1,000 kits the state bought from Integrated DNA Testing have been distributed to hospitals and state labs where there seems to be the highest numbers of cases.

He dispatched the Florida National Guard to Broward County to help combat the worst outbreak in the state. It has set up a mobile drive-through testing center at Memorial Healthcare near Fort Lauderdale, with hundreds of troops on hand to assist with sample collection and processing.

Since more than half of the cases in Florida involve people over the age of 60, the governor said he was focusing his efforts on the frail and elderly. To that end, he made all nursing homes in the state off-limits to visitors for 30 days.

Only essential staff and families who have loved ones dying in hospice will be allowed to enter nursing homes, assisted living facilities or other places that serve the frail and elderly, according to the governor’s edict.

>>Coronavirus in Florida: What we know now, the latest updates

A state agency that regulates nursing homes discouraged residents from leaving. Upon returning, residents may not be allowed back in if they fall under the restricted criteria for COVID-19 — which includes visiting an airport.

The new state nursing home guidelines also call for an end to communal meals, which means all residents must have their food delivered to their rooms.

>>Coronavirus cases worldwide: An interactive look

Knapp, who is spokeswoman for the association that represents more than 500 nursing homes in Florida, said putting in place the new restrictions won’t be easy.

There are questions about how nursing homes will handle the new meal requirements with current staff, she said. It is also unknown what will happen if a resident leaves with a family member and comes back and doesn’t meet the new restrictive criteria to reenter.

Florida Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz acknowledged that the restrictions on nursing home patients and their families may seem extreme.

But, he said, they are necessary not just to protect the elderly but to protect all state residents.

"It is the elderly population that’s going to end up in the hospital and possibly overwhelm the health care system," he said.

Staff writers John Pacenti, Chris Persaud, Olivia Hitchcock, Sonja Isger, Liz Balmaseda and Kimberly Miller contributed to this story.

jmusgrave@pbpost.com