Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke Sunday in Orlando.

*

TO OUR READERS: This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Palm Beach Post. If you want breaking coronavirus news directly in your inbox, sign up for our Coronavirus Newsletter.

*

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is eagerly awaiting deliveries that will boost Florida’s capacity to test for coronavirus in the coming weeks, while taking measure of what results are already in, with an eye to mapping a way to easing social restrictions.

When it comes to the state’s so-called re-opening, DeSantis said Sunday in Orlando, "I’m less concerned about a specific date than in getting it right."

He said he is intent on following the White House playbook. Under federal guidelines, reopening hinges on signs the contagion has slowed.

On Sunday, the numbers of the infected and dying continued to grow across the state.

Another 689 people, including 87 in Palm Beach County, tested positive for COVID-19. The additions bring the number of those sickened by the respiratory scourge to more than 31,500 statewide and nearly 2,700 in the county.

The number of deaths rose statewide by 19, though for the second consecutive day none of those was logged in Palm Beach County, holding the local death toll to 158.

But when looking particularly at the rate of tests coming back positive across the last two weeks, DeSantis noted a slight downward trajectory. From April 12 through 21 rates ran from 7 percent to 10 percent and then stepped down, hitting 6 percent and 5 percent from April 22 to April 25.

Testing is key to getting the most accurate lay of the land and to that end, DeSantis said the capacity across the state now exceeds the demand.

The state’s seven drive-thru sites have administered 80,000 tests. More recently, walk-up sites in poorer communities, including spots in Palm Beach County, have opened. In the past week, 4,700 people were tested at those operations, he said.

The state also contracted with two labs that DeSantis said will be able to process 18,000 samples a day. By May 25, more testing machines are due to arrive in Florida to do another 10,000 samples a day.

The governor said he is also seeking permission for pharmacists to administer testing.

Testing not only will inform the decision to open everything from businesses to parks, it will be necessary to keep nursing homes and hospitals a step ahead of the illness when cases surface.

Those efforts will be particularly vital in South Florida, the state’s epicenter of illness with nearly 60 percent of the state’s reported cases.

In the past month, Palm Beach County saw a surge in testing, driven in large part by the revelation that among the state’s most populous regions it was the least-tested per capita. With two state-supported drive-thrus and a number of walk-up clinics opening, it pulled out of the basement.

But with slightly over 24,00 tested, Palm Beach still lags behind Broward and Miami-Dade which report more than 43,000 and just under 78,000 tested respectively.

A storm that blew through West Palm Beach Sunday afternoon, will take a two-hour bite out of testing at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches Monday morning.

Organizers have asked that the 200-plus people with appointments to be swabbed sometime between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. hold off and come instead between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The delay will give workers time to resurrect the tents and traffic cones topped in the driving wind and rain.

As state authorities keep an eye on testing statistics for signs the spread of the disease is slowing, they are also preparing for a week in which they will ask the public to weigh in on how to safely reopen.

Gov. DeSantis’ Re-Open Florida Task Force has unveiled an online portal where the public can comment on how to safely to reopen everything from business and schools to parks and beaches.

Palm Beach Mayor Dave Kerner said Friday he has been working with officials in Broward and Miami-Dade counties to craft a plan to reopen parks, golf courses, boat ramps and other recreational outlets. An announcement could come as soon as Monday.

Beaches, Kerner said, would remain closed.

Any local or regional strategy for businesses will wait until DeSantis announces what he plans to do statewide, Kerner said.

That announcement also is expected to come this week after the governor’s staff reviews suggestions made during conference calls last week among leaders around the state.

sisger@pbpost.com

@sonjaisger

VIDEO: Coronavirus vs the flu