It's clear to local's in South Florida that tourists are flocking back to South Florida at pre-Covid levels as Omicron winds down. The public beach in Delray Beach was packed Friday afternoon. Many people who wanted to go to the beach were left cruising for parking spaces as the lots filled up early. Beach area bars and restaurants were also packed with customers.

Like many areas of the country, the return of tourists to South Florida is a sign of public eagerness to move on from the coronavirus pandemic, even if the virus hasn't completely faded from Florida. According to a Miami Herald report published Wednesday, Florida's Covid 19 hospitalizations are down, but over the previous seven days the state still experienced an average of 207 deaths a day. With no state mask mandate, some Floridians and tourists are choosing to wear masks indoors while others aren't. It's important to note Florida doesn't report out-of-state tourist and non-resident seasonal visitor covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths, so it's hard to get an accurate sense of what's really going on in the Sunshine State heading into President's Day weekend and beyond.