Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on April 14
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.
FLORIDA WON’T SAY WHICH ELDER-CARE FACILITIES HAVE COVID-19
6:50 p.m.: Barred from visiting their relatives in the midst of a pandemic, people with relatives in nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the state say they are also being deprived of information that could reassure them that their loved ones are safe.
Kristen Knapp, spokeswoman for the Florida Health Care Association, the trade group representing most nursing homes in Florida, said “we’re recommending and encouraging [the homes] to disclose” information to relatives of residents but that it’s “the decision of the Department of Health” to release the data to the broader public. The health department has refused to share it.
Read the full story here.
DOCTOR FIGHTING CORONAVIRUS GETS DAUGHTER BACK
5:45 p.m.: A South Florida emergency-room physician is getting her daughter back after an appeals court suspended a judge’s order stripping her of custody because she works with coronavirus patients.
Miami’s Third District Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a stay of the judge’s order, meaning Dr. Theresa Greene can continue sharing custody of her 4-year-old daughter as legal wrangling continues between the doctor and her ex-husband.
Read the full story here.
SOUTH FLORIDA VIRTUAL ENTERTAINMENT TO LOOK OUT FOR
4:15 p.m.: There’s virtual entertainment — South Florida style — you can enjoy from home. Like a tour of Wynwood’s arts and culture district. Learning how to act or dance professionally on stage. Sending someone you love a video of local musicians singing their favorite song — personalized with “love and music.”
Here’s a list of different streams of South Florida entertainment to keep you busy while you’re indoors trying to slow the spread of COVID-19.
HOW TO BEHAVE DURING QUARANTINE
3:15 p.m.: Here is our guide on how to behave during quarantine. Follow these rules carefully.
LET US KNOW IF YOU CAN’T GET INFO ON LOVED ONE AT FLORIDA NURSING HOME
1:45 p.m.: Do you have a friend or relative in an ALF or nursing home? Have you been stymied trying to get information about how they are doing, whether anyone at the home has tested positive, and what precautions are being implemented to ensure that everyone is safe and healthy?
If so, we want to hear from you. Fill out this form out and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
UPDATED FLORIDA CASE NUMBERS
12:10 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Tuesday morning confirmed 348 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total of known cases to 21,367. There were 25 new deaths reported, raising the statewide death toll to 524.
Miami-Dade County (7,555 confirmed COVID-19 cases) and Broward County (3,243 confirmed COVID-19 cases) combine to make up 50.5 percent of Florida’s confirmed case total.
Read the full update on Florida’s case numbers here. The state’s numbers will again be updated Tuesday evening.
GOOD WORK FROM CAMILA CABELLO AND SHAWN MENDES
11:40 a.m.: Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes have been in lockdown together in Miami, and the pop singers are trying to make the best of the situation.
Cabello and Mendes gave a whole bunch of Cuban sandwiches to the healthcare workers at Jackson South Medical Center on Friday. A receipt from El Rinconcito Latino showed that Cabello and Mendes paid $1,280 for 200 sandwiches.
Read the full story here.
SALVATION ARMY LAUNCHES HOTLINE TO HELP CALM CORONAVIRUS FEARS
10:10 a.m.: The Salvation Army USA launched a nationwide support hotline for people to get emotional and spiritual help from pastors and emotional-care personnel.
To reach someone to speak to, call 1-844-458-HOPE (4673). The phone is staffed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Counselors will be available for English and Spanish speaking callers. People can leave a message after hours.
A person can also visit www.SalvationArmyFlorida.org/pray and request a pastor to give them a call.
More information is available here.
MIAMI-AREA NURSE WHO WORKED WITH COVID-19 PATIENTS PASSES AWAY
9:30 a.m.: A nurse at Palmetto General Hospital who was on the COVID-19 front lines has died.
Danielle Dicenso, an ICU nurse at the Hialeah hospital, fell ill last month with a fever and cough, symptoms known to be caused by COVID-19.
Dicenso had a “beautiful smile and contagious laugh,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe page. Her pride and joy was her 4-year-old son, Dominic.
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 tops 21,000 coronavirus cases and nears 500 deaths statewide
▪ Miami-Dade mayor forming plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions. Parks first on agenda
▪ Florida surgeon general says keep social distancing until there’s a vaccine — in a year
▪ Nursing homes a coronavirus ‘nightmare.’ DeSantis deploys National Guard for testing surge
▪ DeSantis deems pro wrestling ‘essential business’ amid statewide stay-at-home order
▪ Everyone on exclusive Fisher Island, even the staff, can get tested for coronavirus
▪ Some condo associations are blocking leases and sales. Realtors argue it’s illegal
▪ A Florida inmate refused to take off a protective mask. He was handcuffed, punished
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 9:20 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on April 14."
