ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Confirmed COVID-19 cases in St. Johns County have nearly doubled in the last week.
On June 14, there were 307 coronavirus cases reported in the county. Seven days later, that number jumped to 461. On Sunday, the Florida Department of Health reported a total of 837 cases in St. Johns County -- 81 additional cases since Saturday.
The rise in cases comes ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. The parking lot at the Phantom Fireworks off County Road 210 was about full on Sunday. Since St. Augustine has postponed its Fourth of July display, it’s expected stores like Phantom Fireworks will be busy.
“It was very crowded,” said Leeann Robbins, a customer at Phantom Fireworks.
Despite the crowds inside the store, News4Jax was told the store was taking safety precautions, including making sure people were social distancing. Employees were wearing masks, as were some customers.
“They’ve got the one-way sections and everything to make sure you keep your distance,” another customer said.
Some customers said weren’t concerned with the rising case numbers and they’re looking forward to doing their own fireworks.
As of Sunday, according to the state Department of Health, these were the ZIP codes with the highest numbers of confirmed cases in the county:
- 32082 (including Ponte Vedra Beach): 175 cases
- 32259: 158 cases
- 32092: 107 cases