Category: Broward News

“For many people, connecting with a faith community is understandably important at a time like this. With that said, the coronavirus is just as dangerous and infectious whether you are in a community center or a church or synagogue,” Frankel said. “One infected person has the ability to set off a chain of events that can overwhelm a healthcare system. Sadly, we have already seen that catastrophic impact in South Korea and France, where massive religious gatherings left thousands of... Read More

JFK Medical Center, with the largest emergency department in Palm Beach County and a track record of more than 131,000 annual visits, is one of the HCA hospitals where staff have been sent home or told not to come in for their shifts. They are expected to be on call, however, should the hospital need to ramp up. ... Read More

Passengers who are fit for travel: Will receive a card allowing them to disembark and be required to wear face masks at all times until arriving at their final destinations. Buses with sheriff’s escorts will take them to Fort Lauderdale airport for five chartered flights on Friday and Saturday. Local passengers will be driven by contracted cars home. Once home, all passengers must self-isolate for two weeks. ... Read More

“We’re actually more strict,” Zembower said. “And we’re actually pushing, what we believe, is healthier for our community … We want to adhere to the Governor’s order. But here in Seminole County, we were the first to do a social distancing order that really — we believe, and all experts agree — actually works the best in slowing the spreading of the COVID-19.” ... Read More

On Wednesday, with DeSantis’ statewide stay-at-home order, a federal guideline of suggested essential workers was also included. Those federal guidelines, released by the Department of Homeland Security, include many more categories of workers and also cover government workers such as law enforcement and elections officials. It includes far more categories of workers than the Miami-Dade order, but some of them are quite narrow in scope, such as workers supporting the operation and... Read More

It would be inhumane to keep the more than 2,300 people aboard the Zaandam and Rotterdam from reaching dry ground. But first, Holland America Lines must provide a plan that gets the sick the care they need — and the healthy home — without compromising public safety or stressing Broward’s public health system.(LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS) ... Read More

In most states including Florida, a so-called “waiting week” has been a long-time fixture of unemployment insurance laws, experts say. Originally established to allow states time to process initial jobless claims, critics assert that advances in technology make the wait unnecessary. The real reason they’re still in place, opponents say, is that the delay saves states money, especially if workers find jobs before their eligibility to collect insurance expires. ... Read More

Demings presented maps of predicted hotspots of COVID-19 within Orange County, which showed areas most likely to be hit hardest by the virus, including zip codes 32801, 32822, 32839, 32837, 32824 and 32828. Those cover Orlando’s downtown Orlando core, and the Azalea Park, Edgewood, Lake Nona, Taft and Avalon Park areas. ... Read More

Asked if there’s any good reason not to have a stay-at-home order, Adams said, “governors have tough choices to make. They have to decide whether or not they feel like their citizens will listen to them without a stay-at-home order. But, again, the most important thing to do is to stay at home, stay 6 feet away from each other — that’s how you slow the spread.” ... Read More

The visits came as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Florida long-term care facilities increased to 72 on Tuesday. Those cases are spread across 12 counties, though state officials have generally refused to identify the nursing homes or assisted living facilities where they have occurred, citing privacy concerns. ... Read More