WLRN staff continues to add updates on testing and vaccination sites, executive orders and messages from government officials, and the latest news on COVID-19. You can find information on free food and food distributions here.
The dedicated website for the Florida Department of Health, including information about the 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
Broward County Will Go Back To In-Person Learning For 2021-2022 School Year
Updated Tuesday at 5:05 p.m.
Broward County Public Schools will open 100% for traditional classroom instruction in the fall. Superintendent Robert Runcie made the announcement at a workshop Tuesday. He said his recommendation is based on experiences over the past year, "...which have highlighted the academic, social and emotional challenges that many of our students have had with the remote learning."
"And we know some certainly have been successful but there have been many that it's certainly been a big challenge," he said.
Runcie told the school board the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers and school staff also influenced his recommendation.
There will be no more blended hybrid remote learning. For families that still want their kids to stay online and at home — the district will still offer Broward Virtual School, part of Florida Virtual School.
— Caitie Switalski Muñoz / WLRN News
Florida Adds More Than 9,000 New Cases, 64 New Resident Deaths
Updated Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 9,068 positive cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. The state has a total of 2,134,914 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Tuesday's update also included the announcement of 64 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 34,120. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 34,784.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 11,417 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 50 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
What Does The J&J Vaccine ‘Pause’ Mean For MDC North And The Rest Of South Florida?
Updated Tuesday at 10:40 a.m.
How will the federal government’s call to “pause” the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of blood clots affect South Florida sites?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the state will pause J&J distribution in accordance with the guidance issued early Tuesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The governor, who recently received the single dose J&J shot, said that Florida has not seen any “significant affects” caused by the vaccine. A total of 473,416 people have received the J&J single dose so far in Florida, according to Monday’s vaccine report.
Read more at our news partner the Miami Herald.
— By Michelle Marchante / Miami Herald
The One Day Pop-up Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine Site In Homestead Has Been Canceled
Updated Tuesday at 9:50 a.m.
Tuesday’s one-day vaccine event in Homestead was canceled by the state after Tuesday morning’s joint statement by the FDA & CDC recommending a halt to the usage of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a city spokesperson said.
Six reports of a “rare and severe” kind of blood clotting caused the agencies to make their recommendation, the FDA said.
The 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. event at the FOP Lodge and Harris Field was to be a walk-up event lasting from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or whenever the 400 doses of the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine ran out.
Read more from our news partner at the Miami Herald.
— By David J. Neal / Miami Herald
Publix Cuts Back On Vaccine Sign-Up Days
Updated Tuesday at 6:15 a.m.
Sign-ups for the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida are now limited to two days a week at Publix.
The grocer’s online reservation system will no longer open on Mondays to schedule vaccination appointments in Florida, the company says.
A spokeswoman said more appointments will be available on Fridays instead of spacing them out over two days.
Read more from our news partner at the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
— By Lisa J. Huriash / Sun Sentinel
Another Cruise Line Will Require Vaccines; DeSantis Says No
Updated Tuesday at 5:59 a.m.
Silversea Cruises became the second major cruise line to announce it will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all passengers when it resumes global itineraries on June 5.
The decision could set up a confrontation with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when the luxury cruise line is scheduled to sail from Port Everglades in December.
DeSantis’ press office on Monday asserted that his recent executive order barring businesses from requiring proof of vaccinated customers extends to cruise lines operating in Florida.
Read more from our news partner at the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
— By Ron Hurtibise / Sun Sentinel
