This post will be updated today, Thursday, June 25, and through the week with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.
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WLRN staff continues to add to community resource lists, including this article on where kids and families can get food while schools are closed, and this post about 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
Florida's COVID-19 Cases Increase By 5,004, Second Highest Jump
Updated Thursday at 11:20 a.m.
The Florida Department of Health confirmed an additional 5,004 cases on Thursday. The state has a total of 114,018 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Thursday's update also included the announcement of 46 new deaths, increasing the statewide number to 3,327. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 1,244 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 4 deaths due to COVID-19.
-WLRN News
Marathon To Close Beach On Fourth, Fireworks Still On
Updated Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
The city of Marathon is closing Sombrero Beach on the Fourth of July and all festivities at the beach are canceled.
The fireworks display is still on.
"As of today, with the increase in cases, high numbers of beach visitors and the need to slow the spread to avoid reverting to further closures, it is the appropriate measured response," City Manager Chuck Lindsey wrote in a Facebook post.
The fireworks display is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on July 4.
The city will inspect the beach before it reopens, expected to be in the late morning on July 5.
- Nancy Klingener/WLRN News
Miami-Dade To Provide Free Lodging For Infected, Send 'Surge' Teams
Updated Thursday at 6:30 a.m.
With coronavirus spread on the rise , Miami-Dade plans to provide free lodging for the infected and dispatch “surge” teams with masks and hand sanitizer to neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus.
The new steps announced by Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Wednesday followed news last week of a crackdown on businesses not enforcing existing mask rules. Police said Wednesday that its officers so far have closed fewer than a dozen establishments for COVID violations.
With more hospital beds filled with COVID cases and daily testing reports smashing through levels the county considers safe, Gimenez said he’s hoping a more localized response can slow the spread five weeks after he began lifting closure orders on the economy.
To read more, visit our news partner at the Miami Herald.
- Douglas Hanks/Miami Herald
Palm Beach County Mask Mandate To Start Thursday
Updated Thursday at 6:30 a.m.
Starting Thursday, residents in Palm Beach County will be required to wear masks in all public places. The order was approved on Tuesday and took effect Thursday morning for all unincorporated areas and cities. Fines for violaters could be up to $250 for the first violation and could go up to $500 for additional violations. There is no mention of jail for violaters.
-WLRN News
