Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on March 29
We’re keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state. Check back for updates throughout the day.
280 more cases in Dade, 174 in Broward
7:59 p.m.: Florida’s total number of cases jumped by 704 positive diagnoses, 280 of which are in Miami-Dade, with a positive test hit rate that had a slight increase to 10.7 percent. The number of deaths rose by four to a total of 60.
Miami-Dade’s cases now total 1,472. Of that number, 100 have been hospitalized and three have died. The positive test percentage dropped to 9.6 percent at the last update to 15.9 percent.
Broward, which added 174 cases and two hospitalizations, has 1,012 and 102, respectively. The positive test rate edged down to 9.6 percent while holding at 11 deaths.
There were 50 additional positive tests in Palm Beach, according to the state of Florida, now up to 383 cases. There have been seven deaths in the county.
Monroe added one more case for a total of 23 positive cases and still reporting no deaths in the county.
MIAMI VA EMPLOYEES BEING TOLD TO REUSE SURGICAL MASK
5:40 p.m.: Healthcare workers at the Miami VA hospital are being told to reuse one surgical mask for a week at a time starting Monday.
Administration officials at the Miami VA told employees to check out a surgical mask and return it at the end of each week in order to receive a new one, according to people familiar with operations at the hospital. A spokesperson for the facility confirmed the guidance on Sunday but said it applied only to employees who are not dealing directly with patients suspected of having COVID-19.
Shane Suzuki, the Miami VA spokesperson, said the guidance was issued out of “an abundance of caution.”
FORT LAUDERDALE MAYOR NOT READY TO ACCEPT CRUISE SHIP
5:20 p.m.: A Holland America cruise ship with four COVID-19 deaths and 150 people sick is headed for Port Everglades, but Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis is hesitant to support its arrival.
“Until I am fully briefed by the Trump administration and I’m comfortable with their plans, I cannot support the Zaandam docking in my community,” Trantalis said.
Read the full story here.
MEALS FROM MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS
3:35 p.m.: Here’s more information on Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ “grab-and-go” meals, which will be distributed at 50 schools ...
A MESSAGE FROM MIAMI-DADE MAYOR
2:45 p.m.: Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s video message Sunday was simple: Stay home and make sure to practice social distancing if you do have to go out for an essential activity.
“That’s why it’s so important that everyone, and I mean everyone, act as if you’re carrying the virus,” Gimenez said in Sunday’s video. “Because the only way to stop the spread is not to be in close contact with others.”
FUNGAL OUTBREAK SHUTS DOWN MIAMI SPRINGS CITY HALL
1:05 p.m.: As Miami Springs grapples with COVID-19, leaders have abruptly closed and moved its City Hall and police operations offsite amid an “emergency” fungal outbreak.
“In light of the mold assessment report received March 3, 2020, the mold condition requires that we treat this as an emergency purchase,” said City Manager William Alonso. “This is a serious health issue for our staff at City Hall and the police department.”
Alonso had planned to inform city leaders about the mold crisis on March 23, but the scheduled City Council that night was abruptly canceled due to COVID-19.
An inspection on March 3 revealed mold contamination about City Hall, including the City Council chambers, the police chief’s office, and the women’s bathroom. The emergency prompted the city to embark on a massive mold remediation project.
City Hall staff has been reassigned to the Community Center, located at 1401 Westward Dr., and the city announced on its website that it will continue to provide essential services like police, public works and sanitation.
The Miami Springs police department has already moved its operations into two trailers along the 200 block of Park St. Police are using a 20-foot mobile command center on loan from the Town of Medley.
— THEO KARANTSALIS (For the Miami Herald)
BROWARD EMPLOYEE TESTS POSITIVE
12:40 p.m.: An employee at the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s Broward Youth Treatment Center received a positive COVID-19 test result Friday, the department announced Sunday.
“At this time, all staff and youth at the program are asymptomatic,” the department said. “All youth are being continuously monitored and checked for flu-like symptoms. The program implemented a daily sanitation plan to reduce the risk of spreading or contamination from an infectious illness.
“No additional youth will be admitted to the program until further notice.”
CHECKPOINTS INTO FLORIDA KEYS TO REMAIN OPEN
12:30 p.m.: The two checkpoints into the Florida Keys will remain open for now after Monroe County officials received backlash this weekend from residents and municipal officials because it was revealed late in the week that the blockades were only scheduled to remain open for two days.
“Due to heightened concerns of COVID-19, only residents, property owners, and those actively involved in work in the Florida Keys will be admitted, including fuel tankers, delivery and grocery trucks,” county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood said Sunday in a statement.
UPDATED FLORIDA CASE NUMBERS
11:50 a.m.: The first Sunday update has Florida’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 4,246. There were no additions to the state’s death total, which is at 56.
Miami-Dade County has 1,192 cases, 92 hospitalizations and three deaths. Broward County has 838 cases, 100 hospitalizations and 11 deaths. Miami-Dade and Broward counties make up 47.8 percent of the state’s total case number.
Florida’s numbers will be updated again Sunday evening.
PUBLIX OFFERS HELP TO BUSINESSES
10:50 a.m.: Publix is stepping up to help businesses.
For two months, Publix is waiving rent as well as maintenance fees and taxes for shopping center tenants closed as non-essential businesses. That list includes 282 shopping centers such as Doral Park Plaza at Northwest 41st Street and 97th Avenue in Doral; Plaza Del Paraiso at 12100 SW 127th Avenue in South Miami-Dade; Paradise Promenade Plaza in Davie, and Cooper City Commons at 9359 Sheridan Street.
THE CORONAVIRUS IMPACT ON MIAMI ALCOHOL, DRUG ADDICTS
9:35 a.m.: The coronavirus has upended South Florida’s fragile care system for people battling alcohol and substance abuse, putting many more at risk of relapsing and overdosing.
Substance-abuse therapists have traded in couches for platforms such as Skype or Facetime as some South Florida residential rehab centers have stopped accepting new patients for fear they might infect existing clients. Because there’s been a steep drop-off in patient visits, clinics are bracing for private insurance and federal government reimbursements to vanish, forcing layoffs of counselors and staff.
Doctors fear Medicaid patients will run out of their supplies of drugs such as suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction, because of strict state requirements that they get drug tested and visit doctors in person.
Read the full story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Sunday begins.
▪ The number of coronavirus infections in Florida surged past 4,000 Saturday.
▪ Fourteen crew members aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a recording obtained by the Miami Herald.
▪ The Zaandam cruise ship has received permission to pass through the Panama Canal on its way to Port Everglades, where it will unload its increasingly sick passengers and crew.
▪ A longtime nurse at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital died due to complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
▪ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times from Saturday’s coronavirus press conference.
▪ III Points music and arts festival has been rescheduled for Oct. 16-17, making the event the latest Miami gathering to be disrupted by the spread of COVID-19.
This story was originally published March 29, 2020 at 9:02 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on March 29."
