State officials want Florida schools closed through May 1 due to the growing threat of the new coronavirus. So far, there’s no official change in any of the three South Florida districts.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said March 17 that schools would remain closed until at least April 15. Districts have switched to online learning as a result. But during a conference call with districts Monday afternoon, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran recommended the closures be extended until May 1.
There has been confusion in South Florida about how soon certain businesses and agencies could re-open.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday all of South Florida should live under a unified “safer at home” policy until May 15, but later walked that back, saying he instead meant April 15.
It’s unlikely schools can re-open as long as the region remains under a stay-at-home order.
The Department of Health said Monday evening that the state now has 5,704 coronavirus cases. The number of deaths is now 71. Of the newly reported deaths, two of were in Palm Beach County, one in Broward and one in Miami-Dade County.
DeSantis made his original announcement at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, flanked by county mayors Dale Holness of Broward, David Kerner of Palm Beach County, Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade and Heather Carruthers of Monroe.
At a briefing in West Palm Beach, DeSantis said he didn’t mean to say May.
“This morning you said May,” a reporter said. DeSantis’ response: “Oh, sorry, April 15th. I’m sorry. We’re going to go, it’s till April 15, but we’re going to be evaluating every day and seeing how some of the trends look.”
In an executive order issued Monday evening, DeSantis said he was ordering the four southeast Florida counties to “restrict public access to businesses and facilities deemed non-essential” until April 15, using the same guidelines previously issued by Miami-Dade County. It deems multiple categories as “essential,” including health care, grocery and food, gas stations, veterinarians and funeral homes.
The governor said each county could designate additional “essential” services not be subject to complete closure. Any still-operating essential businesses “shall take reasonable action” to make sure people adhere to social distancing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DeSantis said the measure is necessary in what’s the mostly densely populated part of the state. “The reason why this is important is we have 60% of the cases in the state of Florida are in southeast Florida,” the governor said.
At the Palm Beach County briefing, DeSantis said other parts of the state don’t need such restrictions. But, he said, all Floridians age 65 and older or have underlying medical conditions, should follow the safer-at-home, social distancing practices.
Also Monday, Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry issued a revised order to clearly state certain businesses should be closed. She said all golf courses and movie theaters — whether they’re drive-thru, indoor or outdoor — should close immediately. Also told to close immediately: all marinas, boat launches, docking, marine supply and marina services. The only exception is refueling.
DeSantis said the heavy international travel to the region, especially Miami, and the frequent back and forth between South Florida and New York “has provided a lot more seed to have the virus in southeast Florida.” He said he believes coronavirus was circulating as early as the Super Bowl in Miami during the first weekend of February.
The mayors all supported the unified restrictions. “I beg everyone to heed the warnings,” Holness said. Gimenez was even more direct: “Stay at home as much as possible.”
Kerner said the joint posture is “a recognition of the fierceness of the virus,” acknowledging that “it’s going to get more difficult over time. We’ve adapted over the past few weeks. And it will become frustrating.”
Latest developments
There’s clearly a demand for testing. Phone lines for people to register for testing that begins Tuesday at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach opened at 8 a.m. Monday. Early in the afternoon, Kerner said 330,000 calls had been received. County officials said they would work to locate another test site in South County, where many older residents live, especially in the communities west of Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.
Florida’s frustrated emergency management director is pleading for N95 medical masks on social media, comparing the effort to secure the badly needed supplies for hospitals and paramedics to “chasing a ghost.” Jared Moskowitz, director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, compared the market for the masks to a “Ponzi scheme,” plagued with layers of distributors and a bidding war caused by states jockeying for supplies.
A Holland America cruise ship carrying nearly 200 sick people and four dead is on steady pace toward South Florida, traveling past the Panama Canal faster than expected. But the Zaandam’s journey was dealt another blow Monday when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he doesn’t want the ship to dock in South Florida amid the spread of the new coronavirus, which already is overwhelming doctors with an influx of ill patients.
Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line announced an extension of its pause in operation Monday. All North America sailings through May 11th have been canceled.
South Florida-based Spirit Airlines is suspending flights to several airports in the New York metropolitan area through at least May 4, according to news accounts. The airports are New York LaGuardia, Newark, Hartford, Niagra Falls and Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Florida Power & Light Co. has proposed bunching the electricity savings customers would receive in small monthly increments and giving people a larger, one-time credit in May. Utilities are required to pass fuel costs savings to customers, and this year FPL says it’s been paying less for natural gas and spending less on fuel because of solar farms.
Florida has procured hydroxychloroquine from with Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals, DeSantis said Monday. The medicine, used to treat conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, has been used “successfully, anecdotally” to help some afflicted with COVID-19, the governor said.
Schools are closed and Broward schools had a tough transition to online education Monday, with many students unable to get on due to system crashes. Palm Beach County students begin virtual classes Tuesday.
The widow of Richard Curren, 77, the first person who died of coronavirus at the Fort Lauderdale assisted-living facility Atria Willow Wood, has tested positive herself. Five other Atria Willow Wood residents have died and at least 10 more have tested positive. One employee has tested positive, and results are pending for two more.
Carlos Migoya, the president and CEO of Jackson Health System, the Miami-Dade County hospital network, said Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19. He said he is self-isolating and has no symptoms.
DeSantis said he is suspending state rules preventing law enforcement and health care retirees with state pensions from returning to work within six months of their retirement. “We need to have folks who are willing to come to return to service,” he said.
Two employees at Publix stores in South Florida have tested positive for coronavirus, the company said. One was at a store in Miami-Dade County; the other was at a store in West Boca.
While large dinners with family and friends are not a good idea, restaurant takeout is an option for smaller, more intimate meals for Passover or Easter.
By the numbers
The Department of Health on Monday evening said the state’s documented coronavirus cases totaled 5,704. The agency reported 715 people with COVID-19 are in the hospital, and 56,702 people have been tested overall so far.
Broward and Miami-Dade are the counties with the highest number of cases in Florida. Broward has 1,137 total cases. Miami-Dade has 1,701. Palm Beach County has 463.
A total of 71 deaths have been reported by the state, with 12 in Broward, 10 in Palm Beach and four in Miami-Dade.
The United States now has more coronavirus cases than any country in the world. As of Sunday morning, there are over 160,020 confirmed cases, with at least 2,953 deaths. New York has the most deaths of any state: 1,218 as of Monday evening.
There are over 777,286 confirmed cases worldwide in more than 150 countries and territories, with 37,140 deaths.
The number of documented cases in a given location is not necessarily an accurate reflection of the actual number of infected people documented by authorities.
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More resources
Get the most updated information about coronavirus in Florida: Florida Department of Health website at floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. Or call the Florida COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
Get the most updated information about the virus in the United States: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov.
To get tested
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, you should contact your county health department (floridahealth.gov/chdepicontact) and take these steps:
Seek medical advice: Call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room. Tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
Avoid contact with others.
Avoid travel.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to avoid spreading the virus to others.
Wash your hands with soap and water immediately after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose. If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
