Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on March 18
We’re keeping track of the latest news about coronavirus in Florida. Check back for updates throughout the day.
MARIO DIAZ-BALART TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS
7:10 p.m.: Miami Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart became the first member of Congress to test positive for the novel coronavirus, his office said Wednesday.
Diaz-Balart entered self-quarantine on Friday and stayed in Washington because his wife Tia has a pre-existing medical condition. On Saturday evening, Diaz-Balart devleoped symptoms, including a fever and headache, according to his office.
“I want everyone to know that I am feeling much better,” Diaz-Balart said in a statement. “However, it is important that everyone take this extremely seriously and follow CDC guidelines in order to avoid getting sick and mitigate the spread of this virus. We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times.”
NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS CASES IN FLORIDA CONTINUES TO RISE
6:20 p.m.: The total number of cases of COVID-19 in Florida jumped overnight, growing from 216 to 328 total cases. State officials announced that one more person died of the illness, bringing the death toll in Florida to eight.
The numbers were updated Wednesday evening.
Numbers have spiked in South Florida, where the cases in Broward County grew from 55 to 80 overnight, and cases in Miami-Dade grew from 44 to 77.
LOCAL MALLS TO CLOSE
4:35 p.m.: Sawgrass Mills, Dadeland and Aventura malls, among others, will close as of 7 p.m. Wednesday due to the spread of the coronavirus, the malls’ owner, Simon Property Group, announced Wednesday. The malls and premium outlets will be closed until March 29.
The South Florida malls and outlets that will be affected include Aventura, Coral Square, Dadeland, Florida Keys Outlet Marketplace, Miami International, Sawgrass Mills, The Colonnade Outlets, The Falls and the Town Center in Boca Raton.
“The health and safety of our shoppers, retailers and employees is of paramount importance and we are taking this step to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” David Simon, Simon’s chairman, chief executive and president, said in a statement.
HEAT ANNOUNCES PLAN TO HELP TEAM, ARENA WORKERS
3:45 p.m.: The Miami Heat and AmericanAirlines Arena announced Wednesday that they will be providing disaster relief assistance to team and arena part-time employees. In addition, the Heat and AmericanAirlines Arena will provide funds to their partners, including food and beverage concessionaire (Levy Restaurants), security (Contemporary Services Corporation), and housekeeping (Pritchard Sports and Entertainment) to assist workers during the coronavirus shutdown.
Also, the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation will donate an additional $1 million to the Miami Heat Charitable Fund at the Miami Foundation “to establish an initiative designed specifically for employees and/or other community needs as they arise in the coming months.”
“We have approximately 1,000 part-timers and they are the backbone of our business,” Eric Woolworth, the Heat’s president of business operations, said in a statement. “Night in and night out, every single one of these employees works tirelessly to provide our guests and our community with the best experience in sports and entertainment. They deserve our help as we all navigate this unpredictable situation together. We are eternally grateful to the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation for always stepping forward to provide their unwavering support.”
HIALEAH TO CLOSE PUBLIC LIBRARIES
2:30 p.m.: The Hialeah Public Libraries announced Wednesday that it will close all library locations until further notice starting on Friday “to protect the public we serve every day, as well as our staff and volunteers, who have been going above and beyond to continue providing service over the last several days as this public health crisis has developed.”
For those who have library materials in their possession, loan periods are being extended so returns don’t have to be made until libraries reopen.
ARCHDIOCESE OF MIAMI SUSPENDS MASS
1:45 p.m.: The Archdiocese of Miami suspended all of its regularly scheduled celebrations of Mass and other liturgical events in parish churches and other public sanctuaries in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision took effect on Wednesday.
Funerals or other events that can’t be postponed, such as baptisms or weddings, that had been scheduled may still go on. But only with scaled-down changes.
Parishes are encouraged to live stream celebrations of Mass that priests lead. The archdiocesan website will compile a list of links for live stream masses.
DELIVERY MADE EASY IN THE GROVE
1:20 p.m.: Live in the zip code of 33133 and south of U.S. 1? Food delivery from a list of Coconut Grove restaurants is going to be easy for you.
Place your order by phone with the participating restaurant, pay over the phone with a credit card and wait for Freebee to deliver your food. Freebee in the Grove is now fully a delivery service and is not available for request by anyone other than participating restaurants.
Participating restaurants include: Atchana’s Homegrown Thai, Asian Thai Kitchen, Barracuda, Farinelli, Jaguar, Last Carrot, Lokal, Vicky’s House, Oasis Lounge, Sandbar, Strada and Sweet Mercy Brewery.
MIAMI-DADE TO ORDER CASINOS TO CLOSE
1:10 p.m.: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Wednesday he plans to order all casinos closed across the county.
In addition, Gimenez announced new restrictions on recreation, banning parties at county parks and freezing rentals of scooters and mopeds throughout Miami-Dade.
Gimenez also said he imposed a cap on county park gatherings of more than 10 people. The order does not apply to municipal parks.
The ban on scooter rentals also includes bikes, shutting down municipal bike-sharing programs like Citi Bike. It takes effect at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. “You can still ride a bike or a moped if you own it,” Gimenez said.
UPDATED CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS FOR FLORIDA
12:35 p.m.: The total number of cases of COVID-19 in Florida spiked overnight, jumping from 216 to 314 total cases. In addition, state officials announced Wednesday that one more person died of the illness overnight in Manatee County, bringing the death toll in Florida to seven.
Numbers are increasing in South Florida, too, where the cases in Broward County grew from 55 to 80 overnight and cases in Miami-Dade grew from 44 to 76.
With these new numbers, South Florida makes up 49.7 percent of the state’s cases.
MIAMI BEACH EXTENDS CLOSURES
11:55 a.m.: Miami Beach is extending its emergency measures, including closures, until April 23.
The city has closed restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other similar businesses within its borders. It has also enacted a 24-7 closure of some of its most popular public beaches and implemented a midnight curfew along South Beach’s busiest strips.
These new measures were set to expire Friday at midnight, but they have now been extended until late April.
LOCAL BREWERIES TURN TO TO-GO OPTIONS
11:15 a.m.: Miami breweries are feeling the coronavirus effects, too.
With dining rooms and bars forced to close around South Florida, breweries have turned to pickup and delivery options to keep business going.
▪ The Tank Brewing Company is offering pickup from Monday through Sunday, noon-8 p.m.
▪ Beat Culture Brewery is offering to-go options and are also taking call-in orders for food and beer purchases. You can also order through Uber Eats.
▪ Tripping Animals Brewing Co. is taking to-go orders for food and beer from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Uber Eats is also an option.
▪ Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Company is offering a to-go option for beer for the next 30 days. The brewery is open from noon-6 p.m. for to-go orders.
▪ J. Wakefield Brewing is doing to-go orders, too, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day. All four packs will be discounted at 20 percent off and bottles are discounted at 10 percent off “in efforts to provide value during these difficult times.”
▪ Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending is also offering a to-go option from 3-8 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend hours haven’t been announced yet. You can also pre-order items by emailing marco@unseencreatures.com and payment is being taken over the phone.
▪ MIA Beer Company is open for select hours for pickup and to-go orders. All pickup and to-go beer has been pre-discounted 20 percent on its website.
▪ Boxelder Craft Beer Market is taking pickup orders on its website for beer, wine and popcorn. All orders will be ready in 30 minutes.
▪ Union Beer Store is offering to-go beer from 1-8 p.m. Beer deliveries will also be available.
▪ Strange Beast has turned to pickup and delivery, operating from noon-11 p.m. every day.
LOCAL BAND TO LIVE STREAM CONCERT
10:45 a.m.: You might not be able to attend a concert during this time, but bands are finding other ways to put on shows.
The Rhythm Foundation will broadcast a live stream of the Miami electro duo Afrobeta in a closed set performance from the North Beach Bandshell at 8 p.m. Thursday.
The live stream can be viewed worldwide on Rhythm Foundation’s Facebook Live.
CORAL GABLES CINEMA CLOSES
10:30 a.m.: Like many other things around the country, the Coral Gables Art Cinema is closing for at least two weeks, starting Wednesday, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The far-reaching impacts that will be felt by our small nonprofit cinema and our 21 employees will be great,” the cinema said in an email announcing its temporary closure.
Those with a ticket to a future screening are encouraged to donate it back to the cinema. Email info@gablescinema.com or call 786-472-2249 if you’re interested in donating your ticket and it will be processed as a tax-deductible donation, and you’ll receive an acknowledgment letter in return.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 11:48 AM.
