Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on April 19
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.
SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE
7:05 p.m.: South Florida again accounted for most of the Sunday evening increases in Florida’s confirmed COVID-19 case count and deaths from novel coronavirus.
Of the 318 new confirmed cases that raised Florida’s number to 26,314, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach had 213 (Monroe County had no new cases). Of the 26,314 confirmed cases, nearly 60 percent are concentrated in South Florida. The state’s announced death toll is 774, 10 more than were reported earlier Sunday.
Here’s the complete Sunday evening update on the state’s COVID-19 case numbers.
FLORIDA SUSPENDS TWO NURSING HOME ADMINISTRATORS
6:45 p.m.: Nursing home staff members worked without masks while unused N95 masks sat in an office. Some resident rooms lacked hand sanitizer or gloves. A COVID-19 isolation area was placed in the area of least separation — a main hallway to the cafeteria.
And, when 35 residents were tested on Tuesday, eight (22.9 percent) came back positive.
These snapshots from at Cross Landings Health Care & Rehabilitation Center in Monticello, a town near Tallahassee, were from Friday’s emergency suspension orders on Mark Daniels’ and Sebrina Cameron’s nursing home administrator licenses.
Read the full story here.
MIAMI-DADE BEACHES NOT REOPENING SOON
4:30 p.m.: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is closing in on a plan to allow parks, marinas and golf courses to reopen, but beaches will have to wait.
“I’ve seen a lot of buzz on social media from people who think beaches in Miami-Dade County are opening up,” Gimenez tweeted just after 3 p.m. Sunday. “This is not the case. Although we’re consulting with medical experts on the future opening of public spaces, there is currently no timeline for opening beaches.”
Gimenez’s office announced a Facebook and Twitter question-and-answer session scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday on reopening “parks” and “waterways” under certain conditions.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CREW MEMBER DIES IN BROWARD HOSPITAL
3:20 p.m.: A Royal Caribbean crew member died in a Broward hospital Saturday. He had been a bartender on the Oasis of the Seas.
“It is with great sadness that I now let you know that our fellow team member, bartender Dexter Joyosa, passed away at a Broward hospital this afternoon,” the captain said. “He was close to all of us and he was a fantastic employee.”
At least three crew members from cruise ships have died in South Florida hospitals from COVID-19 in recent weeks. The Broward Medical Examiner’s office did not immediately respond to questions about whether Joyosa’s death was due to COVID-19.
Colleagues say Joyosa was evacuated from the ship at Port Everglades with severe respiratory problems in the past few weeks.
Read the full story here.
HERE’S HOW TO SEND QUESTIONS IN FOR MIAMI-DADE VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
2:30 p.m.: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez will hold a virtual town hall meeting Monday at 4 p.m. on Facebook and Twitter. The objective of the meeting is to receive community input on the reopening plan, specifically on the subject of reopening parks and waterways, with Gimenez hosting a panel of experts from the medical field and various industries who will be available to comment on the different phases of planning.
Residents are allowed to begin posting their questions Sunday on Gimenez’ Facebook post on the event or by sending them in via Twitter. The mayor’s social media staff will also be monitoring the accounts for questions during the live meeting.
MIAMI BEACH TESTING NEWS
1:25 p.m.: The Miami Beach coronavirus mobile testing center announced Sunday that COVID-19 test appointments “will now be open to all frontline workers , including first responders, healthcare workers and employees of essential businesses (grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.), in South Florida.”
Tests previously were only available to those who had symptoms or been in contact with someone confirmed to have the virus.
Frontline workers interested in being tested should visit MedRiteUrgentCare.com/COVID. Once they have completed the initial questionnaire, they will be provided with an email address to which they can send a request for a testing appointment.
The testing site, located at 4621 Collins Ave., is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., every day with the exception of Saturday.
Click here for more information.
UPDATE ON FLORIDA CASE NUMBERS
12 p.m.: On Sunday morning, Florida’s Department of Health confirmed 504 additional cases of COVID-19. The state now has a total of 25,996 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The state’s announced death toll is 764.
Miami-Dade County (9,166 confirmed COVID-19 cases) and Broward County (3,960 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 be updated again Sunday evening.
BROWARD DETAINEES WITH COVID-19 NOT GETTING CARE, DEFENDERS SAY
11:15 a.m.: Broward County’s top lawyers for indigent men and women in the county jail in Fort Lauderdale have accused the Broward Sheriff’s Office of neglecting the medical needs of detainees infected with the coronavirus.
In a letter to Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony on Friday night, Public Defender Howard Finkelstein and his top assistant, Gordon Weekes, accused Broward jail administrators of denying medical care and even water to detainees who are confirmed to have COVID-19.
“Our clients are advising,” the two wrote, “that while in quarantine, they are not being regularly checked by either medical or detention” staff.
Read the full story here.
ANOTHER FLORIDA PRISON BECOMES HOT SPOT
9:30 a.m.: After the number of inmates with COVID-19 at Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach soared from seven to 38 Saturday, healthy inmates at Tomoka were being transported to Columbia Correctional Institution in Lake City, where there are so far no inmates who have tested positive for the illness, family members say.
As of Saturday evening, 85 inmates and 78 staff members throughout the nation’s third-largest prison system had tested positive for COVID-19. Four inmates had died, all of whom had been incarcerated at Blackwater River Correctional Facility, a compound near Pensacola run under contract by the Geo Group.
Read the full story here.
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 Sunday begins.
▪ Florida nears 25,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and 750 deaths as some beaches open
▪ Under pressure, DeSantis releases names of elder care homes with COVID-19 cases
▪ 26-year-old man becomes first Miami-Dade homeless coronavirus death, Homeless Trust says
▪ Packed Florida beach offers glimpse of what may come when outdoor spaces are reopened
▪ Retired Seminole police officer dies from coronavirus after over 40 years of service
▪ To keep farms — and food distributions — afloat, Miami-Dade disburses $900,000 in aid
This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 9:11 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on April 19."
