JIM: LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY BECAUSE CENTRAL FLORIDA IS SUCH A TOURISM MECCA THERE IS A GREATER CHANCE IT COULD COME HERE.

WESH 2’S AMANDA DUKES HAS MORE.

AMANDA: WITH VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD DESCENDING ON CENTRAL FLORIDA DAILY, LOCAL AND STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE ADMITTED THE AREA COULD BE AT GREATER RISK FOR EXPOSURE TO THE

CORONAVIRUS, BUT THEIR MESSAGES THAT THEY ARE PREPARED.

AT A NEWS CONFERENCE IN TALLAHASSEE TODAY, GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS SAID FLORIDA IS WELL PREPARED TO HANDLE ANY CASES OF THE CORONAVIRUS.

>> THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HAS BEEN WELL ENGAGED FROM THE BEGINNING WITH THEIR RESPONSE.

AN EPIDEMIOLGOY TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING SINCE BEGINNING OF JANUARY, WE HAVE AN INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM IN PLACE AND ARE WORKING LOCK STEP WITH CDC.

AMANDA: FLORIDA’S SURGEON GENERAL, WHO ALSO SPOKE AT THURSDAYS NEWS CONFERENCE, SAID FLORIDA IS CONSIDERED LOW RISK FOR THE CORONAVIRUS BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONFIRMED

INFECTIONS HERE.

BUT AT A ROUNDTABLE HOSTED BY DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN STEPHANIE MURPHY IN MID FEBRUARY, SEVERAL LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT CENTRAL FLORIDA IS A

TOURISM HOT SPOT, AND THAT CALLS FOR THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF PREPAREDNESS.

>> WE STARTED OUR PREPAREDNESS EARLY IN JANUARY BEFORE IT REALLY TOOK OFF, KNOWING IF IT AN ILLNESS BORNE BY TRAVEL, THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP PLACES.

AMANDA: DURING TODAY’S NEWS CONFERENCE IN TALLAHASSEE, THE GOVERNOR POINTED OUT OF THE 11 INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS IN THE U.S. ACCEPTING TRAVELERS F