Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that state parks will reopen on Monday, citing a Department of Homeland Security study that he said shows sunlight, heat and humidity kill Covid-19.
The reopening of state parks will include restrictions including social distancing, DeSantis said at a Friday news conference.
“The DHS study said that sunlight rapidly killed the virus in aerosols, and it said that outdoor daytime environments are lower risk for transmission of the virus than indoor environments,” DeSantis said.
“In terms of surfaces, when a virus may be left on a surface (the) DHS study concluded that sunlight kills the virus quickly, and that the virus is less stable overall at higher temperatures and higher humidity.”
Bill Bryan, the DHS under secretary for Science and Technology, discussed the experiments with sunlight, heat and humidity at an April 24 White House news briefing.
The DHS study on the effects of heat and sunlight on the coronavirus is undergoing the process for peer review and publication in scientific journals, according to the department. There is no written report as yet, a DHS spokesperson told CNN.
The study came under increased scrutiny after President Donald Trump suggested last week during a press briefing that the virus could be treated with sunlight, as well raising the idea that disinfectants could be used to treat the virus in humans.
DeSantis defended the reopening of beaches in Jacksonville a few weeks ago and took a jab at what he called “drive-by-media” for reporting on it. State data shows an outbreak has not occurred in Duval County since the reopening of beaches, DeSantis said.
DeSantis was also criticized back in March for his handling of spring break and for not closing the beaches sooner.
CNN’s Erica Henry and Randi Kaye contributed to this report.