Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on March 30
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.
A CORRECTION FROM DESANTIS
5:15 p.m.: Hours after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday morning that those living in Southeast Florida should stay home until mid-May to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, he clarified the timetable for his safer-at-home order.
At a press conference in Palm Beach County, DeSantis said that he meant April 15, not mid-May, for an end date.
The order urges those in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties to stay home.
JACKSON HEALTH’S CEO TESTS POSITIVE
5:05 p.m.: The CEO of Jackson Health System, Carlos Migoya, tested positive last week for COVID-19.
In a statement released Monday afternoon, Migoya, who is head of Miami-Dade County’s public health system, said he has no symptoms. But he was tested at the discretion of Jackson Health physicians, “based upon positive cases to whom I was exposed.”
MORE CLOSURES IN MIAMI-DADE
4:35 p.m.: In a video message Monday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced an order that will close pools, gyms and other amenities for condominiums, apartments, hotels and other buildings across the county.
“Unfortunately, some people are not taking this seriously and they are not practicing social distancing,” Gimenez said in the video. “In addition, I want to stress that golf courses that I ordered closed cannot turn into parks.”
HIALEAH ANNOUNCES CURFEW
3:10 p.m.: Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez announced a curfew that will be implemented in the City of Hialeah beginning Monday. The curfew runs from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. until further notice in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Here’s the announcement from Hernandez ...
MIAMI-DADE SUSPENDS CONSTRUCTION INSPECTIONS
2:05 p.m.: Miami-Dade is suspending construction inspections and telling builders to hire their own engineers to review work for safety and code compliance.
The order dated March 28 includes new forms and instructions requiring builders to hire independent architects or engineers to inspect their work. The rules specify the engineer may not have a “financial stake” in the project.
MORE CRUISE LINES EXTEND CRUISE CANCELLATIONS
1:35 p.m.: Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises said Monday the companies won’t go back to cruising until May 12 and May 30, respectively, a full month later than previously announced.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. extended its suspension across all of its cruise lines through May 11, and through June 30 for cruises in Alaska, Canada and New England.
As of now, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings will return to cruising on April 12 and Disney on April 13.
UPDATED FLORIDA CASE NUMBERS
12:15 p.m.: As of Monday morning’s update, Florida’s confirmed COVID-19 case count stands at 5,473 with at least 63 deaths.
Miami-Dade County now has 1,632 positive coronavirus tests. Of the 1,632 positive tests, 100 have been hospitalized and three have died.
Broward County now has 1,152 positive coronavirus tests. Of the 1,152 positive tests, 105 have been hospitalized and 11 have died.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties make up 50.9 percent of Florida’s total case count.
The state’s numbers will be updated again Monday evening.
DESANTIS ISSUES SAFER-AT-HOME ORDER FOR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
12 p.m.: At a press conference at the drive-thru testing site at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he would be signing an executive order urging those in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties to stay home through “mid-May.”
“This codifies a set of rules regarding ‘Safer at Home’ in Southeast Florida,” he said. “It gets all four counties operating on the same sheet of music.”
Further details of the executive order were not immediately made available to the press.
On Monday, DeSantis also announced he would sign an order lifting restrictions on sending recently retired law enforcement and healthcare professionals back to work.
HOW A GENDER REVEAL LOOKS WHILE IN QUARANTINE
11:30 a.m.: Quarantine is forcing some to get creative, and that’s exactly what parents to be Omaar Yemini and Stephanie Márquez did.
The couple held a gender reveal party on their balcony in downtown Miami on Saturday amid stay-at-home orders. They invited friends to their 3 p.m. virtual festivities via Facebook and Instagram.
Here’s the video ...
DESANTIS OFFERS TAKE ON ZAANDAM CRUISE COMING TO FLORIDA
10:40 a.m.: During an appearance on Fox News Monday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he does not want to see people from the Zaandam cruise ship disembark in Florida.
“We cannot afford to have people who are not even Floridians dumped into South Florida using up those valuable resources,” he said. “We view this as a big big problem and we do not want to see people dumped in Southern Florida right now.”
PUERTO RICO SEES LARGEST ONE-DAY INCREASE IN CASES
10 a.m.: Puerto Rico saw its largest single-day increase in new COVID-19 cases. On Monday, the island’s Health Department said public and private labs had detected 47 new cases and that another patient had died.
The updated numbers have Puerto Rico with 174 cases of the coronavirus and six have died.
MIAMI-DADE PUBLIX EMPLOYEE TESTS POSITIVE
9:20 a.m.: A Publix employee in Southwest Miami-Dade has tested positive for the coronavirus, the supermarket chain confirmed Monday.
The store at 9420 SW 56th St. has since completed a “disinfection-level deep cleaning in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in addition to our daily cleaning and sanitation protocols,” Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said in an email to the Miami Herald.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9:10 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Monday begins.
▪ As of Sunday evening, there were 4,950 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida. Sixty people in the state have died of the disease.
▪ The Democratic National Committee is launching a text message campaign in Florida asking voters to switch to vote-by-mail ballots, as voter registration organizations continue to shift methods and goals amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
▪ Three TSA agents at Miami International Airport have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to federal officials.
▪ A Holland America cruise ship with four deaths, two COVID-19 cases and 179 people sick with flu-like symptoms is headed for Port Everglades in Broward County. But Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis indicated he’s not yet ready to accept the ship into the community.
▪ Healthcare workers at the Miami VA hospital are being told to reuse one surgical mask for a week at a time starting Monday.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on March 30."
