Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on April 7
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.
SOUTH FLORIDA JAZZ CANCELS SEASON
6:30 p.m.: The South Florida Jazz at Bailey Hall has been canceled for the remainder of the 2020 season because of the spread of the coronavirus.
The Bailey Hall box office will be issuing ticket refunds for any shows that have already been paid for. Specific questions regarding this issue can be emailed to kjattan@broward.edu.
TOUGHER RESTRICTIONS COMING TO MONROE COUNTY
6 p.m.: Monroe County is enacting tougher restrictions throughout the Florida Keys in its effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Monroe Mayor Heather Carruthers said on a Facebook Live session Tuesday afternoon that these include making everyone inside a business that is allowed to stay open wear a face mask. That includes customers and staff.
Monroe County is also furloughing up to 100 employees in the Florida Keys as a result of the economic crisis brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic, officials said Tuesday afternoon.
UPDATE ON JACKSON MEMORIAL NURSING HOME
5:40 p.m.: An update from Miami Herald reporter Daniel Chang indicates there’s one additional resident of a Miami nursing home who has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been hospitalized. There’s now a total of eight residents of a nursing home run by Jackson Health System who have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19.
The coronavirus outbreak occurred at Jackson Memorial Long-Term Care Center, one of two nursing homes operated by Jackson Health, Miami-Dade’s public hospital system.
MIAMI-DADE TO OFFER OVERNIGHT UBER RIDES
4:20 p.m.: Because ridership has declined amid the coronavirus pandemic, Miami-Dade’s transit system is ready to cancel overnight routes and outsource public transportation to Uber and Lyft during those hours.
An Uber statement said the arrangement will allow Miami-Dade bus passengers to obtain vouchers up to $45 for personal rides along the limited number of routes running overnight.
The Uber rides will be available from midnight until 5 a.m. for nine bus routes that run overnight. A test run is scheduled for Thursday, and overnight bus service will end Friday. In its statement, Uber said passengers must sign up for a voucher on the company’s website or call a county hotline, 786-469-5555.
Read the full story here.
SHOULD MIAMI-DADE CONSTRUCTION BE SHUT DOWN?
3:30 p.m.: While the construction industry in Miami-Dade scrambles to raise safety standards to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, public and private sentiment that the job sites should shut down continues to grow.
Residents who live inside buildings where cosmetic repair work is being done agonize over the non-stop noise. Other people living near active construction sites are stuck in their homes, where they can’t escape the ear-piercing beeps of heavy machinery.
Read the full story here.
INMATE AT KROME DETENTION CENTER TESTS POSITIVE
2:25 p.m.: An immigration inmate at the Krome detention center in Miami-Dade has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Miami Herald confirmed Tuesday.
The detainee, who was taken to a nearby hospital, has not returned to the detention center since being transported for medical care.
Read the full story here.
36 BSO EMPLOYEES TEST POSITIVE
2:15 p.m.: Thirty-six employees of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office have tested positive for COVID-19, Sheriff Gregory Tony announced Tuesday morning.
Tony said 300 employees are in self-isolation, either awaiting test results or because they might have been in close contact with someone who was infected with COVID-19. The number of employees who tested positive for the disease does not include Deputy Shannon Bennett, 39, who died Friday from COVID-19 complications.
PACKED CROWDS IN HIALEAH TO WAIT FOR PAPER UNEMPLOYMENT FORMS
12:40 p.m.: A crowd of people, many wearing masks but with little distance between them despite COVID-19 concerns, stood in line Tuesday morning outside the John F. Kennedy Library in Hialeah waiting to pick up paper unemployment forms.
Footage from the scene drew immediate criticism from local officials.
“The [mayor’s] administration has implemented a program that puts people at great risk for spreading this virus,” Hialeah Council President Paul Hernandez told the Miami Herald. “This is an example of good intentions but poor planning.”
Read the full story here.
MIAMI BEACH CONVENTION CENTER MAY HOUSE CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS
12:15 p.m.: The Miami Beach Convention Center may soon be housing patients after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $22 million contract to convert the 1.4 million-square-foot facility into a field hospital.
It has not yet been announced whether the hospital would house coronavirus patients or serve as an overflow facility for hospitals.
“This is obviously a precaution that assumes the worst case scenario, but it’s better to be prepared for the worst case than to hope for the best case,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “It will sit vacant hopefully until it is dismantled.”
Read the full story here.
FLORIDA’S UPDATED CASE NUMBERS
11:45 a.m.: On Tuesday morning, the Florida Department of Health confirmed 875 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total of confirmed cases in the state to 14,504. There were 29 new deaths reported, with a total of 283 statewide.
Twenty-two of the new deaths were in South Florida — four were in Miami-Dade County, six in Broward County and 12 were in Palm Beach County. With the new deaths, Miami-Dade’s death toll stands at 45. Broward’s death toll is 53 and Palm Beach, 63.
Miami-Dade (4,997 confirmed COVID-19 cases) and Broward (2,213 confirmed COVID-19 cases) make up 49.7 percent of Florida’s confirmed case total.
Here are all of the updated numbers as of Tuesday morning. The state’s case numbers will again be updated Tuesday evening.
DRIVE-THROUGH TESTING SITE OPENING AT TAMIAMI PARK
10:45 a.m.: Miami-Dade plans to open a new drive-through testing site at Tamiami Park on Wednesday for adults with COVID-19 symptoms.
County operators are taking calls Tuesday for Wednesday appointments. The number to call is 305-499-8767 for appointments at Tamiami and two other county drive-through sites at Marlins Park in Miami and the South Dade Government Center.
Testing is by appointment only, and restricted to people 18 and over with symptoms of COVID-19.
Read the full story here.
HOW FLORIDA ZOOS, RESCUES ARE PROTECTING ANIMALS
10:15 a.m.: After a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City tested positive on Sunday for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, zoos and sanctuaries have stepped up precautions.
Jungle Island is giving orangutans extra puzzles to fill the void of not having daily interactions with park guests. Zoo Miami employees are wearings masks and gloves while preparing meals for the animals. And Tampa-based Big Cat Rescue keepers are spraying disinfectants after giving medication to tigers and lions.
“We are learning new things about this virus every day,” said Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill. “We have been acting with an abundance of caution.”
Read the full story here.
WHY SOUTH FLORIDA IS GETTING MOBILE MORGUES
10:05 a.m.: Deaths caused by the coronavirus haven’t overwhelmed South Florida’s medical community yet — but officials are getting refrigerated trucks to be used as mobile morgues, just in case.
With a wary eye on the COVID-19 catastrophe unfolding in New York City, Jackson Health System has already secured refrigerated trucks “out of an abundance of caution.” The federal government is also planning to station some outside Miami’s Veterans Administration Hospital.
Read the full story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9:15 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Tuesday begins.
▪ Florida’s Department of Health on Monday evening confirmed 305 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total of confirmed cases to 13,629.
▪ With Florida’s unemployment website and call center failing during the coronavirus crisis, Miami-Dade is printing hundreds of thousands of paper applications and using about half of the county’s libraries as distribution and delivery centers.
▪ Hialeah Gardens Mayor Yioset de la Cruz announced the municipality will grant a 50 percent discount on water bills during the month of April as a necessary measure “to somewhat alleviate” the household economy of that city due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
▪ Two more South Florida Publix stores each had a worker test positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson for the chain confirmed Monday afternoon.
▪ Starting Tuesday, Key West has ordered stores to limit the number of shoppers, make sure they are wearing masks, and provide hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to customers.
▪ Since the town of Surfside issued a ban last month on all construction except for emergency repairs, some of the feedback has been harsh.
▪ Hundreds of passengers and crew remained stuck on the Coral Princess cruise ship at PortMiami Monday with little information about when they will be getting off.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 9:19 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on April 7."
