Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on May 22
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.
UM to lay off employees in June, begin furloughs soon
4:50 p.m.: After a series of belt-tightening measures weren’t enough to flatten the curve of financial stresses brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Miami will lay off employees in June and soon begin furloughs.
The news came in a letter penned by university President Julio Frenk that was posted online Friday afternoon.
Since campuses have shuttered, “it has become clear that a reduction in workforce has regrettably become unavoidable,” Frenk wrote.
Read the full story here.
Royal Caribbean’s crew members ask for court order to be sent home
4:30 p.m.: Filipino crew members on Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Celebrity ships are asking a federal judge to order the company to send them home immediately.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami Thursday, Ryan Maunes Maglana, a Filipino crew member on the Celebrity Millennium ship docked in San Diego, said he and his colleagues have been held against their will without pay for more than two months as the company has repeatedly delayed repatriation plans for them. On behalf of all Filipino crew members on Celebrity’s 14 ships, Maglana is asking the court to intervene with emergency relief.
Since the cruise industry shut down operations on March 13 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of crew members have remained trapped on ships around the world. Some are from countries with travel restrictions in place complicating their return. Some stuck on ships near the U.S. require charter flights home, per guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cruise companies have said the charter flights are too costly.
Read the full story here.
You have questions, we have answers
2 p.m.: There are many questions surrounding South Florida’s reopening process. Here is our attempt to answer some of them.
▪ I’ve been called back to work in Florida. Do I have to go?
▪ Is it safe to hang out with your friends as coronavirus quarantine ends in Miami?
▪ What’s closed, open and not completely open this COVID-19 Memorial Day
DeSantis removes statewide restrictions on kids’ activities
1:10 p.m.: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday in Jacksonville that Florida would allow organized activities for children, including summer camps and youth sports, effective immediately.
However, the Republican governor said he would not preempt municipalities from making their own rules. No official executive order had been issued by DeSantis as of Friday morning.
DeSantis, speaking at a news conference, noted that children are much less likely to face serious consequences from the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. In Florida, five in six coronavirus deaths have come from people 65 and over.
Read the full story here.
Florida confirmed coronavirus cases near 50,000
Noon: Florida’s Department of Health on Friday morning confirmed 776 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total of known cases closer to 50,000. The state now has a total of 49,451 confirmed cases.
There were also 46 new deaths announced, raising the statewide death toll to 2,190.
Read the full story here.
More than 1.2 million Floridians out of work in April
10:55 a.m.: Florida’s unemployment rate climbed to 12.9% in April, the state reported Friday in a snapshot of the enormous economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
The unemployment figure amounts to more than 1.2 million Floridians. The data are lagging indicators, meaning they are not fully up-to-date. The state has attempted to keep real-time accounting of the extent of job losses on a web-based platform.
Through May 20, the platform shows nearly nearly 2.1 million unemployment claims filed since March 15. Of those, 1.5 million have been verified as individuals — equating to 17% of the state’s workforce. The unemployment rate for May will be released June 19.
Read the full story here.
Miami Beach to reopen hotels
10:30 a.m.: The Miami Beach commission voted Friday to reopen beaches and hotels on June 1.
The target date is about two weeks after retail stores, museums and grooming services resumed operations in Miami Beach on Wednesday. The city will reopen restaurants next Wednesday.
The reopening of beaches in Miami Beach will assuredly trigger a chain reaction of coastal cities reopening their beaches, Mayor Dan Gelber said.
Read the full story here.
Lack of state guidance delayed spring break response
9:15 a.m.:Officials in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale have faced criticism for not shutting down their beaches or banning social gatherings sooner as spring breakers crowded the city’s beaches in March.
Now, following a Miami Herald report Wednesday that revealed Florida officials were quietly mobilizing in February to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and were monitoring residents for possible exposure, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale leaders say they wish state officials had given them more information at the time.
Read the full story here.
Memorial Day traveling during coronavirus
8:45 a.m..: Packed beaches. Picnics and parties. Filled-to-the-brim hotels.
That’s the typical Memorial Day weekend in Florida. But this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the holiday is going to look a lot different — especially in Miami-Dade and Broward, where beaches and hotels are still closed.
Will we still hit the road for a little break?
For the first time in 20 years, AAA says it will not be issuing a Memorial Day travel forecast, which estimates the number of people traveling over the holiday weekend, because of the pandemic’s disruption. Most people are canceling or postponing trips due to fears of catching the disease. Also affecting the decision to travel: Not everything is open.
Read the full story here.
Restaurants reopen to a new coronavirus reality
8:30 a.m.: Diners have returned in required masks. Servers change gloves after running every dish. Dishwashers wear foggy face shields to keep potentially coronavirus-contaminated water from splashing them. And chefs move in tight quarters where the idea of social distancing is aspirational.
This is the new reality for Miami restaurants, the people who work in them and those who dine there.
Read the full story here.
Catch up to start the day
8:15 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Friday begins.
▪ When DeSantis issued stay-at-home order, Florida had already logged 188 COVID-19 deaths
▪ As Florida releases new COVID-19 death data, one medical examiner defies state’s secrecy
▪ Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell to self-isolate after visiting nursing home with COVID
▪ Keys nursing home didn’t report 13 deaths, including 7 possibly from COVID-19, report says
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 8:50 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on May 22."
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