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The latest updates on the COVID-19 outbreak in South Florida. This page ended its updates as of August 2020. Head here for additional stories on COVID-19 and the pandemic.

Coronavirus Live Updates: COVID-19 Death Toll In Florida Is Over 5,000

Jose A. Iglesias
/
El Nuevo Herald/Miami Herald

This post will be updated today, Monday, July 20, and through the week with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.

WLRN is committed to providing the trusted news and local reporting you rely on. Please keep WLRN strong with your support today. Donate now. Thank you.

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.

To receive WLRN's coronavirus updates newsletter on Wednesdays and Saturdays, sign up here.

QUICK UPDATES

More Than 5,000 People Have Died From COVID-19 In Florida

Updated Monday at 7:11 a.m.

Florida's coronavirus cases continued to soar Sunday, with the state reporting another 25,046 cases.

As of 11:20 a.m. Sunday, July 19, the Florida Department of Health reports 4,982 deaths and 156 new deaths in Florida residents reported.

-David Fleshler/The Sun Sentinel

When Schools Reopen, Will the COVID Pandemic Get Worse?

Updated Monday at 7:37 a.m

The scary statistic became public this week as South Florida schools wrestled with when to reopen: Nearly one-third of Florida children tested for COVID-19 turned out to have the virus, a far higher percentage than adults.

That staggering figure diminished Saturday, after the state health department reported a massive increase in testing of children that reduced their positivity rate to about 13%, roughly in line with the rest of the population. However the numbers shift, the prevalence of the virus among children will be watched closely in the coming weeks, as parents, teachers and officials debate when children can return to the classroom.

Although children are far less likely to experience serious illness from the disease, their very lack of symptoms can make them more dangerous carriers. And no one expects 7-year-olds to scrupulously observe rules on hand-washing, mask-wearing or social distancing.

To read more, visit our news partner at the Sun Sentinel

-Austen Erblat/The Sun Sentinel

Bahamas to Close to U.S. Travelers Starting Wednesday

Updated Monday at 6:35 a.m.

The Bahamas will close its borders to travelers from the United States starting Wednesday, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said Sunday.

Minnis, who has also been the acting health minister, cited recent spikes in COVID-19 cases in the US and elsewhere in banning international travel, with some exceptions for emergency and essential travel. Travelers from Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union will still be permitted to come to the Bahamas.

To read more, visit our News Partners at the Sun Sentinel

-Jenny Staletovich/WLRN News

Miami-Dade to Provide Hotel Isolation Rooms to Families Fighting COVID-19 Infections

Miami-Dade County is expanding a program to provide isolaiton rooms at hotels to the general public dealing with COVID-19 infections in families.

The rooms had been available to first responders, healthcare workers, people who are homeless, and patients referred by the Department of Health.

But Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez says the rooms have been largely unused.

"Our frustration has been that we haven't had enough people take advantage of it. We've relayed this to the hospitals. We relay this to the Department of Health. We need to get moe of these patients into these hotel rooms so that we can stop the community spread," says Gimenez.

People can now call directly to request a room. They can get a room if they need to isolate themseleves from infected family members, if they're waiting for test results, or if they themselves are infected. Up to 400 more rooms are now available.

Gimenez says a spike in cases among 18 to 34-year-olds is putting multi-generational families at risk.

"For everybody that we put into a hotel room to self isolate, we probably can stop the spread to three, four, five people in that house. It also depends on the situation. It could be that we isolate the more vulnerable members of that household and get them away from the household where that individual lives," says Gimenez.

To find out about the rooms, call 305-614-1716.

Adriana Brasileiro, Yadira Lopez, Lautaro Grinspan, Rene Rodriguez/Miami Herald

This Zip Code Had the Highest Poverty Rate in Miami-Dade County. Then came COVID-19 

Updated Monday at 6:56 a.m. 

Andrea, a 45-year-old single mother from Mexico, lives with her three children in Homestead. An undocumented farm worker with no formal ties to the small- scale vegetable and fruit farm where she's been employed for the past few years, Andrea used her relatively steady work hours picking passion fruit and vegetables to pay rent and put food on the table.

It's hard work: Andrea gets to the field early in the morning and often works more than nine hours a day, sometimes on weekends. The pay is $8.50 an hour, and in the past she could count on overtime to supplement the base weekly earnings.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Sweeping stay-at-home orders shut down businesses across Miami-Dade County and slashed demand for produce. Andrea's hours were cut to a trickle and her employer implemented a rotation schedule for its eight workers.

To read more, visit our news partners at the Miami Herald

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