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.
To receive WLRN's coronavirus updates newsletter on Wednesdays and Saturdays, sign up here.
QUICK UPDATES
Florida Adds More Than 2,327 New Cases, 66 New Resident Deaths
Updated Wednesday at 3:10 p.m.
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed an additional 2,327 positive cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. The state has a total of 2,313,815 confirmed positive cases, according to the state's health department.
Wednesday update also included the announcement of 66 new resident deaths, increasing the statewide number of Floridians who died to 36,581. Factoring in non-resident deaths the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 37,382.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties make up 12,331 of those reported deaths. Monroe County has reported 50 deaths due to COVID-19.
— WLRN News
Broward Schools Expanding Its Summer School Dramatically To Help Failing Students Catch Up
Updated Wednesday at 6:00 a.m.
With the number of students who’ve received at least one F in the recent grading period spiking significantly, Broward County Public Schools is expanding its summer school by at least tenfold to help boost the staggering number of children who’ve fallen behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the numbers of students not making adequate academic progress touched all demographics, Black and Hispanic students, as well as students whose first language is not English, face the steepest hurdles, according to data released during a Tuesday School Board workshop to discuss the district’s ambitious summer learning program.
School officials want to use the summer sessions to see where the problems are before the fall, when all students are required to return for in-person learning. Schools across the country have been contending with learning losses brought on by the pandemic and remote learning.
— By David Goodhue / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald
Royal Caribbean gets first CDC go-ahead for test cruises from Miami in late June
Updated Wednesday at 5:50 a.m.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave its first green light for test cruises to Royal Caribbean Group Tuesday, the agency said in a statement.
The cruise company will be able to conduct simulated cruises with volunteer passengers in late June to test out its COVID-19 protocols from PortMiami on its Freedom of the Seas ship. The test cruises are a requirement for ships that are not guaranteeing most passengers and crew on board are vaccinated against COVID-19 before revenue cruises can begin.
The approval is a significant step forward for the cruise industry, which has not been able to operate in the U.S. — its most lucrative market — since March 2020 after virus outbreaks and deaths on several ships.
— By Taylor Dolven / The Miami Herald
Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald
