SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis a fourth case of coronavirus in the state of Florida, this time involving a man in his 70s who lives in Santa Rosa County.

Ron DeSantis wearing a suit and tie: Governor Ron DeSantis © Provided by WWSB Tampa Governor Ron DeSantis

Media outlets report the governor said the man is a foreign traveler who is currently too sick to answer questions.

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In addition to four cases in the state, there are five cases involving Florida residents who have been returned to the United States and are currently isolated at a federally designated site until healthy.

The Florida Health Department says 31 people have tested negative for coronavirus and another 69 people have tests pending. Currently 248 people are being monitored for coronavirus in the state and a total of 948 people have been monitored to-date.

It was Sunday night and a letter from Doctors Hospital of Sarasota that went viral on social media that alerted the Suncoast about coronavirus in the state. In a statement released Wednesday, hospital officials said a Manatee County man initially believed to have pneumonia was tested for coronavirus last Friday and the test came back positive Saturday evening.

His case is different than the two cases in Hillsborough County involving a woman in her 20s with coronavirus who had previously traveled through Italy as it remains unclear how the Manatee County man got the virus as he did not travel to an area where it’s known to be spreading.

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A few days after these initial two cases were announced, we learned of a third case involving the sister of the Hillsborough County woman, a California resident, who had traveled with her through Italy.

We know that at least one of the cases involving a Florida resident who is currently out-of-state involves a man who recently traveled to Asia and is self-isolating in the state of Washington.

Florida has been under a public health emergency since Sunday, when Gov. DeSantis issued an executive order directing state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees to take action to control the spread of the contagious disease.

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Already the Suncoast is feeling the effects. ABC7 spoke to a woman whose daughter, a nurse, and 17-year-old grandson, a student at Sarasota Military Academy, are currently being quarantined following possible exposure at Doctors Hospital in Sarasota.

Sarasota Military Academy says once they were made aware their student was quarantined, they began to do a deep clean at the school.

“Our priority is the health and safety of our cadets and staff, and in addition to sanitizing surfaces throughout our campuses, we are reiterating to our staff and cadets the importance of washing hands, sneezing into the bend of elbows, not touching faces and of course, staying home and telling someone if they aren’t feeling well,” said Sarasota Military Academy Executive Director Christina Bowman.

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Monday, Congressman Vern Buchanan met with Doctors Hospital Chief Executive Officer Robert Meade to discuss coronavirus. Meade assured Buchanan that the situation is “under control" but that a patient at the hospital is being treated for the disease. Meade says the hospital is taking every precaution to limit possible exposure to others.

On Tuesday, we learned that at least 12 people are being monitored at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

No vaccine exists for the virus, and federal health officials say a vaccine won’t be ready for another year to 18 months.

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