Coronavirus: St. Johns COVID-19 case count breaks record

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. —

Nights of Lights continues strong in St. Augustine after the annual event started one week early this year to avoid large crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leah Lytle is the owner of Artsy Abode in downtown St. Augustine. She said during the shutdown, they expanded the business and added on.

Now she’s seeing about a 10 to 30% increase in sales daily compared to this time last year.

“An insurgence of amazing new customers and it’s been so exciting and fun,” she told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant. “We have all these people who can’t travel elsewhere and so many people from South Florida, even Orlando — they’re coming here.”

St. Johns County has seen a steady climb in COVID-19 cases.

Last week, they broke a record with 171 new daily cases.

They broke the record again Monday with 191 cases.

Lytle said inside the store they wear masks and sanitize.

They also have an option for curbside pickup, which she said has been popular.

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Locals and visitors alike in St. Augustine said people are for the most part respecting social distancing and wearing masks.

“People were wearing masks when it was in close proximity,” Aurora Leon said.

She’s visiting from out of town with her husband. “In restaurants, everybody abided by the rules.”

There is no mask mandate in St. Johns County, but signs placed throughout downtown remind people to wear masks in crowded areas and to stay six feet apart.