WLRN staff continues to add to community resource lists, including this articleon where kids and families can get food while schools are closed, and this postabout whether and where to get tested for coronavirus.
The dedicated website for the Florida Department of Health, including information about symptoms and numbers of cases, can be found here.
The dedicated website from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found here.
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QUICK UPDATES
Updated COVID-19 Testing Site Hours In Broward This Week, Due To Thanksgiving
Updated Monday at 4 p.m.
There’s been changes to the Florida Department of Health in Broward County’s COVID-19 testing sites located in Fort Lauderdale this week. They have varied days of operation because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The testing site at Holiday Park, which offers the rapid antigen tests as well as the diagnostic PCR molecular tests, will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week from the hours of 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The Mills Pond Park testing site, which only offers diagnostic PCR tests, will only be open this week on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from the hours of 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Test collection sites will be closed countywide Thursday and several sites will also be closed on Friday, November 27, according to the county’s coronavirus web page.
County officials recommend checking with a specific site before visiting. Head here to learn more.
— Caitie Switalski Munoz / WLRN News
Florida Surpasses 940,000 Cases, Resident Death Toll Hits 18,000 Mark
Updated Monday at 3:45 p.m.
Florida surpassed 940,000 positive cases of COVID-19 as Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 6,331 cases of COVID-19 Monday. Florida has a total of 944,745 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Monday's update also included the announcement of 94 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 18,085. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 18,310.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 7,070 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 27 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Palm Beach County Mayor Says COVID Uptick Won’t Affect In-Person School Instruction
Updated Monday at 3:15 p.m.
Palm Beach County’s daily COVID-19 positivity rate has hovered over 10% in the last two weeks. That’s far above the CDC’s recommended 5% threshold for school re-openings.
Speaking at a press conference before the Thanksgiving holiday break, Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said he’s discussed the matter with School Board Chairman Frank Barbieri.
Kerner says although the mayor doesn’t have the authority to speak for the school board, the uptick in COVID cases hasn’t yet affected the district’s plan to continue with hybrid instruction.
At the start of the school year in August, students were only limited to virtual learning. Some students have since returned to the classroom, and schools are following CDC guidelines like mask-wearing and reduced class sizes.
Kerner says the county is mailing a second round of free reusable and washable masks to 660,000 households in the county.
— Wilkine Brutus/WLRN News
Popular Outdoor Bar The Wharf Shuts Down; Cited Three Times In One Day For Skirting Virus Rules
Updated Monday at 8:25 a.m.
The Wharf Fort Lauderdale, a popular open-air entertainment spot that reopened Friday after being closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, is now closing again.
A crowd of partygoers descended on the Wharf over the weekend, spurring fears over whether a night out at the bar might turn into a superspreader event. Many weren’t wearing masks or keeping the proper social distance that experts say helps stop the spread of the coronavirus.
By 11 p.m. Saturday, county code officers had ordered the bar to shut down for 24 hours, Broward Mayor Steve Geller said Sunday.
— By Susannah Bryan / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
No Plan To Close South Florida Schools As COVID Numbers Rise In The Schools, Counties
Updated Monday at 8:23 a.m.
Public schools in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties saw their confirmed COVID-19 cases jump by well over 100 in a week’s time, a trend that started shortly after students were allowed back to in-person learning in early October.
Despite the rise, neither school district has immediate plans to close schools down and return to online-only classes.
The same is true in Monroe County, where cases in Florida Keys public schools jumped from 46 students, teachers and non-teaching staff last Friday to 62 by the end of this week, a 35 percent increase.
— By David Goodhue and Colleen Wright / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
Pandemic Prompting Florida Leaders To Look To Online Sales For Tax Cash
Updated Monday at 8:21 a.m.
With the nation relying even more on online sales amid the coronavirus pandemic, Florida lawmakers desperate for dollars may finally be ready to drag the state into the e-commerce age.
Florida’s finances are in their worst shape since the Great Recession. But an effort gaining strength at the Capitol could help plug a gaping budget hole by demanding that online sellers begin collecting Florida sales tax and turning it over to the state.
Lawmakers – especially the state’s ruling Republicans – have been wary of such proposals the last couple of years.
— By John Kennedy / The Palm Beach Post
Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post.
Broward Jail Inmate Died Of COVID-19, Medical Examiner Says
Updated Monday at 8:19 a.m.
A Broward County Jail inmate has died of COVID-19.
The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that an “elderly male” inmate — whose name was not disclosed — died Sept. 20 after testing positive for the coronavirus, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
The inmate was arrested in 2018 and was held in the Broward Main Jail. He showed no signs of COVID-19 until his unit was quarantined in late August. He tested positive for the virus on Sept. 7th, and was taken to Broward Health North medical center where he was treated and evaluated for 12 days, authorities said.
— By Wayne K. Roustan / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
