As Florida begins to reopen more parts of the economy, the nation’s top infectious disease expert warned “the consequences could be really serious” if cities and states move too quickly with the coronavirus still spreading.
More COVID-19 infections are inevitable as people again start gathering, but how prepared communities are to stamp out those sparks will determine how bad the rebound is, Dr. Anthony Fauci told the U.S. Senate Health, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“There is no doubt, even under the best of circumstances, when you pull back on mitigation you will see some cases appear,” Fauci said.
And if there is a rush to reopen without following guidelines, “my concern is we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks,” he said. “The consequences could be really serious.”
In fact, he said opening too soon “could turn the clock back,” and that not only would cause “some suffering and death that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to try to get economic recovery.”
His testimony came as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation research center out of the University of Washington, which has been one of the primary tools in determining government reaction to coronavirus, released data over the weekend that projects more than 5,400 deaths in Florida and more than 137,000 deaths in the United States by August 1.
The numbers are once again higher since several states including Florida relaxed stay-at-home orders. Florida’s death toll projection climbed from last week’s 3,971 to 5,440 deaths with an uncertainty between 3,027 and 11,592. For the U.S., the projection is up slightly to 137,184 with an uncertainty between 102,783 and 223,489.
Florida’s daily deaths are now projected to rise by 60 a day in mid-June before a slow tapering off deeper into summer. The highest single days for Florida deaths to date, according to the Florida Department of Health, have been 56 on April 17; 52 on April 23; 52 on April 30; and 52 on May 4. Those numbers change as details about deaths slowly make their way through the system.
In mid-April when the state and nation were mostly locked down, the projection models showed deaths topping out at around 1,900 for Florida and as low as 60,000 for the U.S.
The U.S. surpassed 60,000, though, at the end of April, and now has more than 82,000 deaths from more than 1.3 million cases. Worldwide, there are over 4.2 million cases and over 290,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.
In Florida, Tuesday’s update from the state Department of Health added another 44 reported deaths and 941 cases so the state death toll now stands at 1,779 from 41,923 positive results.
Central Florida has 4,603 reported cases, including 1,537 in Orange, 675 in Polk, 580 in Osceola, 557 in Volusia, 418 in Seminole, 346 in Brevard, 246 in Lake and 244 in Sumter. The region’s death toll stands at 164, with six new reported deaths since Monday. Those deaths include two more in Osceola, two in Polk and one each in Sumter and Volusia counties. (See details on all Central Florida cases here).
South Florida remains the epicenter of the pandemic in the state, accounting for 58% of the state’s cases with 29,451 total among Miami-Dade (14,385), Broward (5,973) and Palm Beach (4,093) counties.
The state continues to roll out more testing, focusing a lot of its efforts on long-term care facilities, where residents are at most risk.
Coronavirus cases in Central Florida’s nursing homes and assisted-living facilities continue to climb, fueling concerns that asymptomatic staffers — including hospice and home-health clinicians — may be spreading the virus from one facility to another.
The U.S. response to testing also is focusing on nursing homes. The White House strongly recommended to governors Monday that all residents and staff at such facilities be tested for the coronavirus in the next two weeks.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has deployed 50 teams from the National Guard to go to the state’s long-term care facilities and issued a rule that staff members have to be tested. Last week, the state also introduced its first mobile testing site, which can turn around results in 45 minutes and will be used to support testing at the facilities. DeSantis said Monday the state may add more mobile sites.
During the past week, the state also began testing for COVID-19 antibodies. This included adding lanes at the state’s drive-through testing sites at the Orange County Convention Center, initially for first responders and health-care workers. Gov. DeSantis said last week the state procured 200,000 antibody tests, which would let people know if they had already been infected with coronavirus. However, it’s uncertain how long the antibodies stay in one’s system.
“It’s really important to do the antibody testing so we get a sense of how widespread this has been,” DeSantis said
He noted results from Miami showed 10% of those tested for antibodies came back positive, while the Duval County site had only .5% positive.
While the state’s medical battle against the virus continues on several fronts, Florida continued to inch away from last month’s shutdown with all but Broward and Miami-Dade counties out from under DeSantis’ safer-at-home order. Most of the state allowed barbers and salons to reopen Monday, while Palm Beach County also opened its restaurants and retail stores like the rest of the state did the previous week.
Central Florida is seeing even more openings this week, including the Mall at Millenia and other shopping centers, four county libraries in Seminole and the planned Wednesday reopening of the Central Florida Zoo.
Universal CityWalk will begin a partial reopening at 4 p.m. Thursday, marking the first step by an Orlando theme-park company to emerge from the shutdown. Visitors and employees will be required to wear face coverings, and temperature checks will be performed. People with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater will not be allowed to enter.
DeSantis has yet to allow other businesses, such as gyms and movie theaters, to reopen.
As far as the state unemployment situation, Gov. DeSantis said the website to apply for assistance was once again taken down Friday-Sunday to play catchup on existing applications.
Tuesday’s update to the state jobs dashboard says it has confirmed 1,381,530 unique claims, processed 1,063,990 of those claims — or 77% — and paid out 665,949 of those claims — or 48.2% — totaling more than $1.7 billion.
Click here for a timeline of how the coronavirus crisis grew in Central Florida.
You can find a running summary of the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Orlando area and Florida below. Also, sign up for new daily Florida coronavirus update by subscribing to The Health Report newsletter and as-they-happen Breaking News emails at OrlandoSentinel.com/newsletters.
Latest news
Blood drive at Orlando VA
The Orlando VA Medical Center and One Blood will have a blood drive by appointment only Wednesday from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. at the SimLEARN, 13800 Veterans Way, Orlando.
Donors must complete a COVID-19 screening at the front main entrance gates to participate. The donation will include a One Blood complimentary wellness check-up that entails blood pressure, pulse, temperature, iron count and cholesterol screening.
For more information, please contact the Orlando VA Healthcare System Public Affairs Office at (407) 631-4436, or via e-mail at vhaorlpublicaffairs@va.gov.
Orlando’s 4th of July fireworks at Lake Eola are canceled this year.
Orlando’s famous 4th of July fireworks show at Lake Eola Park is canceled for this year, a preventative measure as officials still caution against mass gatherings, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
The city, which partners with WKMG-Channel 6 to televise the booming display, will instead show a compilation of previous years’ displays on the network with music from the Orlando Concert band.
“In an effort to keep our community safe, we have made the incredibly tough decision for this first time in the event’s 42-year history to host a VIRTUAL Fireworks at the Fountain and Salute to Service in lieu of our regular live event at Lake Eola Park on the fourth of July this year,” Dyer said in a statement. “Public safety was our chief concern in making this difficult decision. And while we are disappointed, we feel this is the right and responsible thing to do.”
Still no stimulus check? You must use website tool by Wednesday or you’ll be waiting weeks longer, IRS warns.
Congress in late March earmarked $300 billion in direct payouts to Americans hit by the coronavirus pandemic, providing tax-free rebates to help buy groceries and pay rent. But millions are still waiting.
On Friday, the Treasury and IRS said they’ve taken steps to speed up the payments. They urged people who are still waiting to use the “Get My Payment” tool on the website by Wednesday.
“We’re working hard to get more payments quickly to taxpayers,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said. “Time is running out for a chance to get these payments several weeks earlier through direct deposit.”
Universal Orlando: CityWalk’s reopening starts Thursday; face coverings required
Universal CityWalk will begin its partial reopening Thursday, Universal Orlando announced Tuesday. Visitors and employees will be required to wear face coverings, and temperature checks will be performed.
Restaurants opening Thursday include Red Oven Pizza Bakery, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., the outside seating area and Lone Palm area of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Voodoo Doughnut and Auntie Anne’s. Each will have limited menus and seating available.
Also operating will be the Universal Studios Store, the retail shop for Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company and some merchandise carts. Hollywood Drive-In Golf, CityWalk’s miniature golf-course will also reopen.
The complex is scheduled to be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Hours of operation may change, and more venues may be added later, Universal said.
Dems’ $3 trillion new coronavirus stimulus package boosts state aid, ‘hazard pay’ for essential workers
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a more than $3 trillion coronavirus aid package Tuesday, providing nearly $1 trillion for states and cities, “hazard pay” for essential workers and a new round of cash payments to individuals.
The House is expected to vote on the package as soon as Friday, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said there is no “urgency.” The Senate will wait until after Memorial Day to act.
The so-called Heroes Act is built around nearly $1 trillion for states, cities and tribal governments to avert layoffs, focused chiefly on $375 billion for smaller suburban and rural municipalities largely left out of earlier rounds of aid.
Airlines are racking up billions in debt to get through COVID-19. Can they survive?
The four largest U.S. airlines — American, Delta, United and Southwest — have taken on billions in new debt from private and government sources, burning through $30 million to $70 million a day in order to get through the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic when virtually no one is flying.
Airlines had few choices, but what happens when the bills come due for all the new borrowing?
One analyst said American won’t get through without significantly more help from the government or bankruptcy, an experience its leaders are all too familiar with. Another analyst downgraded the stock and put a $1 target price, showing little faith that it will have future value.
Four Metro Diner locations reopen with safety precautions in place
Another chain of diners reopened its doors with safety precautions in place as Orlando-area businesses continue to re-emerge from closures sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. Orlando Metro Diners reopened its dining rooms with limited capacity in Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Kissimmee and Oviedo.
Steak ‘n Shake permanently closing 51 locations, citing financial woes from coronavirus pandemic
Steak ‘n Shake is permanently shutting down 51 of its hamburger chains, citing financial woes caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s unclear at this point if any Central Florida locations will be affected.
Steak ‘n Shake’s parent company, Biglari Holdings, lost $7.9 million during the first quarter of 2020, financial filings show, and there could be more closings as the coronavirus outbreak persists. Documents did not specify which locations will be closed, and calls to Steak ‘n Shake’s corporate office were not returned.
On-time rent payments fell in Florida at the beginning of May; landlords brace for worse if unemployment system not fixed soon
More Florida tenants failed to pay their May rent from May 1 to May 6 compared with last year, triggering concerns those numbers could worsen if unemployment benefits don’t start flowing faster. In Florida, 85.5% of tenants paid their rent in full or in part between May 1 and May 6, a 4.2 percentage point drop compared with the 89.7% who paid during that time in 2019.
Winter Park Playhouse delays 2020-21 season, cancels festival
Winter Park Playhouse has canceled summer programming, including its annual Festival of New Musicals, and pushed back the start of its season until Oct. 1. In addition, summer cabarets have been postponed, and the 2020-21 season’s lineup has been reshuffled — with a new title joining the mix.
As President Trump urges reopening the economy, thousands are getting sick on the job
Even as President Donald Trump urges getting people back to work and reopening the economy, an Associated Press analysis shows thousands of people are getting sick from COVID-19 on the job.
Recent figures show a surge of infections in meatpacking and poultry-processing plants. There’s been a spike of new cases among construction workers in Austin, Texas, where that sector recently returned to work. Even the White House has proven vulnerable, with positive coronavirus tests for one of Trump’s valets and for Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary.
The developments underscore the high stakes for communities nationwide as they gradually loosen restrictions on business.
Jets to fly over Orlando area to honor health workers, first responders
National Guard jets will fly over Orlando and other parts of Central Florida on Wednesday to honor health workers and first responders fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Two F15-C from the Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville will zoom across the regional starting over Apopka High School around 11:35 a.m. Wednesday.
Magic delay reopening team facility for voluntary player workouts
The Orlando Magic will not reopen team facilities Tuesday for voluntary individual player workouts amid the coronavirus pandemic as they had tentatively planned last week.
The team now plans to reopen Wednesday, but even that is subject to change, according to the spokesman. The Magic continue to await COVID-19 test results for players and staff who will be on hand for workouts, according to the spokesman.
Florida city closes beaches after visitors sit too close, to reopen with restrictions
A Florida city closed its beaches Sunday, one week after they reopened, because officials said visitors were not practicing social distancing and could have contributed to the spread of coronavirus.
Officials in Naples on Florida’s southwest coast said that the crowds on Saturday were packed too tightly together, so they decided to close beaches until Wednesday, after the city council decided 4-3 Monday to reopen the beach with limits.
Peeping lizards: Leather artisan makes masks from invasive iguanas, pythons
Brian Wood will cover your face with iguana or python for $90. Or, if you prefer, alligator — the “diamond” of leather — for $120.
The 63-year-old leather artisan was sitting in the living room of his Dania Beach home recently, watching people on TV putting all kinds of functional — if not very fashionable — safety masks on their faces, when he had a brainstorm.
Why not dress up the masks with exotic reptile-skin — and maybe help take down an invasive species or two?
DeSantis banking on federal stimulus money as he puts Florida budget on hold
Florida’s next budget remains on hold pending another round of federal stimulus money, which could also dictate how state lawmakers readdress the spending plan.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he has put off formally accepting and reviewing a $93.2 billion budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year that was approved by the Legislature in March and is slated to take effect July 1.
DeSantis said he is awaiting action from Washington, D.C., on another stimulus package to address the national economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Along with needing to sign the budget before July 1, DeSantis has line-item veto power.
Demonstrators do push-ups, squats outside Florida courthouse to protest gym closures: report
A group of demonstrators were seen doing push-ups and squats in front of a Florida courthouse Monday in an act of protest to the continued closure of gyms.
Clearwater protesters worked out in front of a Pinellas County courthouse showing their need to workout in a gym, and held signs with one featuring the phrase “give me chains or give me death.”
Loneliness vs. safety: The dilemma of nursing homes during coronavirus lockdowns
Rosalyn Kane spends her days reading book after book in her apartment at The Palace at Coral Gables, an independent living facility. She hasn’t had a face-to-face conversation with her daughters in two months, nor has she eaten a meal with her friends. She worries about getting the new coronavirus, but she wants a social life again.
Over the weekend, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that extends the ban on visitors to long-term care facilities in the state for another 60 days and prohibits group activities, including communal dining. The extension came on the heels of a continually rising death toll, 703 as of Monday, in residents and staff of Florida’s long term care facilities.
But administrators of the long-term care facilities are pushing back — claiming the isolation is taking too great a toll.
Who should get tested for coronavirus? Floridians get mixed messages
In a matter of weeks, testing capabilities to diagnose Floridians with coronavirus have multiplied, with hospitals, outpatient clinics and physician offices testing their patients and drive-through sites popping up across the state.
State and local officials are encouraging all residents to get tested for COVID-19. But many medical experts say that if you have no symptoms, haven’t had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 and are spending most of your time at home, you don’t need to be tested.
Food service returns to Turnpike rest areas
Those traveling on Florida’s Turnpike won’t have to make the ride with limited food options as food services plazas will resume operation this week. On Monday, the Florida Department of Transportation announced it would be resuming food services at its eight plazas with some conditions to abide by Gov. DeSantis’ “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida’s Recovery.”
Legoland Florida goes slow with refunds, frustrating customers who canceled trips after coronavirus shutdown
Legoland Florida is taking heat for what customers say has been a slow response to people seeking refunds after the Winter Haven theme park shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. The company’s Facebook page has been flooded with complaints, with some people saying that they have reported Legoland to the Better Business Bureau.
Local coronavirus victims: Their lives remembered
Herman Boehm of Mount Dora, who enjoyed a life filled with adventures with his wife, died March 29 after contracting coronavirus. He was 86. Well into his 80s, Boehm enjoyed near-annual trips to Europe with his wife. Earlier in life, they spent a year cruising in the Bahamas on a sailboat. They went scuba diving and skiing. They danced the Argentine Tango.
A fiesty woman who witnessed World War II and 9/11 firsthand, Ada Ficarra’s story is one of survival, said her daughter Liz Starr. Born in the small town of Porto Empedocle, Sicily, Ficarra died April 26 at Sonata West, an assisted living facility in Winter Garden, where she had lived since 2018. She was 79.
Central Florida owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Neil G. Powell for many of the region’s brightest smiles. Powell was not only a dentist but an organizer of the community of dentists. The Orlando resident died April 22 at age 93 of COVID-19-related pneumonia. An Air Force veteran who fought in World War II, Powell grew up in Sanford and served as president of the Florida Society of Dentistry for Children, the Orange County Dental Society, the Central District Dental Society and the Florida Dental Association. He served on the national American Dental Association.
See more Central Florida coronavirus obituaries here.
Tip of the day
Call before you go: Call your doctor or your County Health Department if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19, have symptoms, and need to be tested. They will decide whether you need to be tested and tell you where to go.
Symptoms? Do this
Are you feeling stressed or depressed from the COVID19 outbreak? There are resources available for you. You can contact the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness
How to protect yourself
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick and avoid contact with people in poor health.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow these recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Follow these guidelines for using a cloth mask.
Questions? Here are numbers to call
The Florida Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions about coronavirus. There’s a number for Orange County, too.
The Florida Department of Health’s number is 1-866-779-6121 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents may also email questions to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
In Orange County, the number to call is 407-723-5004; it’s available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For mental-health help, here is a list of resources.
For accurate, up-to-date information, visit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
The Florida Department of Health: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. For questions, call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
A live map of COVID-19 cases around the globe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
You want to be extra-prepared? Here’s how to stock up before a pandemic: ready.gov/pandemic
For the latest coronavirus updates, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus and follow @orlandosentinel on Twitter.
See complete coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. The Sun Sentinel and Associated Press contributed to this report.