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.
To receive WLRN's coronavirus updates newsletter on Wednesdays and Saturdays, sign up here.
QUICK UPDATES
Florida Adds More Than 17,000 New Cases, 127 New Resident Deaths
Updated Thursday at 5 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 17,192 positive cases of COVID-19 Thursday. Florida has a total of 1,323,315 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Thursday's update also included the announcement of 127 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 21,673. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 21,990.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 7,930 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 35 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Broward Appeals Judge’s Order Banning Curfew For Late-Night Bars
Updated Thursday at 6:30 a.m
Broward County wants to get around a federal court’s ruling that says the government can’t close bars and nightclubs overnight to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
As COVID-19 cases soar nearly every day, the county wants to do it fast. Broward appealed the ruling Tuesday in a brief court filing in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, about a week after the federal ruling.
In the ruling, the court specifically cited Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order in September that removed all restrictions on bars and restaurants as the state moved to Phase 3 of the coronavirus recovery.
— By Brooke Baitinger / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
South Florida Seniors Jam Phone Lines, And Broward Appointment Website Crashes, In The Rush To Get COVID Vaccines
Updated Thursday at 6:30 a.m
Frustrated South Florida seniors jammed phone lines and crashed a state health department website on Wednesday as they tried to make appointments to get a COVID vaccine.
Broward Health, which operates hospitals in Broward County, stopped taking vaccination appointments by noon, saying they were booked through February. The website of the state health department’s Broward office, which crashed earlier in the day, was back online by mid-afternoon for South Florida seniors to schedule vaccine appointments at browardcovidvaccine.com.
At a news conference Wednesday at King’s Point, a sprawling 55-and-older community in West Delray, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told seniors that he’s aware of the strong demand for the vaccines and the issues that has created for people trying to get appointments.
— By Cindy Krischer Goodman and David Fleshler / The South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read more from our news partner at The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Cuba Will Restrict Flights From The U.S., Five Other Countries To Limit COVID Spread
Updated Thursday at 6:26 a.m
The Cuban government has announced it will cut down on the number of travelers allowed into the island from the U.S. and five other countries as of Jan. 1 to avoid an increase in the number of coronavirus infections.
It is not clear how the authorities plan to implement the measure, but a government statement alludes to a reduction in the number of flights. “The Civil Aeronautics authorities of Cuba are dealing with the airlines on the necessary details,” the statement said.
Several owners of Miami agencies that deal with travel to the island told el Nuevo Herald that Cuba will possibly restrict the number of flights to “a single flight per day for each charter” airline.
— By Mario J. Pentón / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.
