Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on June 11
We’re keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state.
Check back for updates on COVID-19 throughout the day.
COVID FORCES WYNWOOD PRIDE TO GO VIRTUAL TO RAISE FUNDS FOR BLM
4:20 p.m.: The COVID-19 pandemic forced the second year of Wynwood Pride to move online. The ongoing George Floyd protests prompted it to become even more than a celebration of the LGBTQ community.
In the last two weeks, Pride organizers tripled the talent to 150 performers from around the world with a goal of raising $100,000 for organizations battling racism, dismantling white supremacy and working toward justice and reform. The Saturday event will feature performances, DJ sets and shows across four Twitch stages and a party at night via Zoom. Founder Jose Atencio said moderators will protect against “Zoom bombers” as the space is meant to be free of racism, homophobia, transphobia or any other intolerance. More content such as live interviews will be held on Instagram.
Read the full story here.
WHAT DOES FLORIDA’S FUTURE HOLD? JOIN SUBSCRIBER-ONLY DISCUSSION.
3:20 p.m.: The COVID-19 pandemic struck a blow to nearly every aspect of civic and business life. As more of daily life moves from shelter at home to functioning at a safe social distance, what should we expect from healthcare, hospitality, higher education and general business? The Miami Herald is hosting a panel Friday with Florida experts to discuss, exclusive to subscribers of the Miami Herald and Bradenton Herald.
The panel features quantitative futurist Amy Webb, Welwaze Medical founder Alex Jimenez-Ness, Florida International University finance professor Joanne Li and Elaine Black, president of the Liberty City Community Revitalization Trust.
RSVP now to reserve your spot and read the full story here.
THE LATEST ON NBA’S RETURN-TO-PLAY PLAN
2:20 p.m.: The NBA is mostly in a holding patter after the National Basketball Players Association voted Friday to approve the league’s return to play plan, but the two sides are still working out some specifics behind the scenes as both parties try to create a safe environment to play at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
A new episode Heat Check podcast, the Miami Herald’s Miami Heat podcast, discusses all the lingering questions remaining for the league as it gets ready to resume play in Lake Buena Vista this summer.
Listen to the episode and read the full story here.
FLORIDA’S UPDATED CASE NUMBERS
1:20 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 1,698 additional cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day total since the coronavirus pandemic began. It brings he state’s total case count up to 69,069 cases. There were also 47 new deaths announced, raising the statewide toll to 2,848.
Miami-Dade County reported 271 new cases of the virus and 14 new deaths, and Broward County reported 144 cases and two deaths. Palm Beach County reported 209 new cases and 10 new deaths, and Monroe County reported four cases without any deaths.
The uptick in new cases is largely due to the growth of Florida’s testing numbers in recent days and weeks, although testing data for Wednesday was not immediately available. The total percentage of positive tests rose slightly this week and now sits at about 5.26 percent.
Read the full story here.
WATCH: ‘BENDING THE CURVE PART 3’ FOCUSES ON HEALTHCARE POLICY
12:50 p.m.: McClatchy is bringing together top medical professionals, industry experts, patient advocates and policymakers to discuss the latest advancements for combating the novel coronavirus. The series is designed to be an exchange of ideas in a civil forum focused on solutions. Part 3 of “Bending the Curve” focuses on how COVID-19 is affecting healthcare policy.
Tune in for the live stream and read the full story here.
NHL SETS START DATE FOR TRAINING CAMPS
12:20 p.m.: The Florida Panthers resumed small group workouts Wednesday at the Florida Panthers IceDen and in less than a month they’ll begin a training camp ahead of the NHL’s return-to-play tournament.
The NHL and NHL Players Association announced Thursday a start date for training camps ahead of the league’s modified postseason. Phase 3, which calls for the start of training camps, will begin in July.
Read the full story here.
LIVE PRO SPORTS RETURN TO SOUTH FLORIDA THIS WEEKEND
11:30 a.m.: NASCAR returns to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend and gives South Florida its first live professional sporting event since the COVID-19 pandemic put sports on hold three months ago. Four races, highlighted by a NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday, will take place at the Homestead race track and there will even be some fans in attendance.
The Dixie Vodka 400, which was originally scheduled for March, headlines the weekend and up to 1,000 South Florida service members and their families will be honorary guests for the race. They will represent the Homestead Air Reserve Base and United States Southern Command in Doral. Everyone else will be able to watch the race on Fox.
Read the full story here.
MLB COMMISSIONER: ‘WE’RE GOING TO PLAY BASEBALL IN 2020’
11 a.m.: There hasn’t been much progress in negotiations between MLB and the MLB Players Association as the two sides try to figure out a plan to play the 2020 season in some capacity, but Rob Manfred spoke with confidence Tuesday when discussing the plan to play this season.
“We’re going to play baseball in 2020,” the commissioner said, “100 percent.”
The league is going to reject the players’ latest deal from Tuesday — one which called for an 89-game season with an expanded playoff format and players receiving full pro-rated salaries, among other things — but he league’s next proposal, Manfred said, will be “a significant move in the players’ direction.”
Read the full story here.
FIU GETS $1 MILLION GRANT FOR VACCINE RESEARCH
10:30 a.m.: Florida International University researcher Fahad Saeed and his colleagues have been developing a machine-learning algorithm to help expedite research of vaccines. Their work earned them a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday.
The team at Florida International uses supercomputers to analyze and understand data in speedy time, which could hold the key to finding cures for many diseases, including COVID-19. The grant will help FIU researchers design and develop machine-learning algorithms allowing biologists to make sense of proteomics — the large-scale study of proteins. Their proposal to use novel artificial intelligence models could help biologists make sense of huge data sets more precisely and rapidly, allowing for the study of millions of proteins at once.
Read the full story here.
SOUTH FLORIDA CASINOS, MORE OPEN FRIDAY
10 a.m.: A new wave of businesses are reopening or soon will in South Florida as governments relax COVID-19 restrictions, including some casinos, museums, bowling alleys and arcades in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
On Wednesday, Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry issued a new emergency order allowing casinos and racetracks to reopen Friday — three days earlier than originally planned. Casinos and racetracks, however, had to agree to close if a employee tested positive for the coronavirus. Casinos and racetracks in Miami-Dade County are also scheduled to reopen Friday.
Museums and arcades in the two counties also begin reopening Thursday.
Read the full story here.
FLORIDA’S WEEKLY UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS HIT POST-PANDEMIC LOW
9:30 a.m.: About 110,520 new unemployment claims were filed in Florida last week—a sign that the ranks of newly jobless may be leveling off. The new data point for the week ending June 6 was down from the 207,707 who filed in the week prior. It’s the lowest figure registered since the COVID-19 pandemic began wreaking havoc on the economy in March.
At the same time, the number of Floridians who continue to file for unemployment after making an initial claim surged by more than 300,000, to 936,548. It’s the fourth-most in the United States, trailing only California, New York and Texas, and it suggests 11 percent of the state’s workforce remains unemployed.
Read the full story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Thursday begins:
▪ Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 1,371 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 2,801 cases. There were also 36 new deaths announced, raising the statewide toll to 2,801. This is the seventh time in the last eight days the state reported more than 1,000 new cases of the coronavirus.
▪ Beachgoers flocked to beaches in Miami-Dade County after they reopened Wednesday.
▪ The weather, however, might not be great for the county’s first beach weekend since March.
▪ Three South Florida casinos operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida will reopen Friday.
▪ Florida state Sen. Javier Rodriguez told the United States Senate on Tuesday the state’s unemployment system “suffered from willful neglect.”
▪ Most states are not reporting probable cases of COVID-19 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data shows.
▪ Major League Soccer detailed its return-to-play plan Wednesday and Inter Miami will return to action in July.
▪ The Florida Panthers returned to their practice facility Wednesday for the first time since the pandemic began.
▪ The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame is asking for donations and auctioning off memorabilia to offset some of the financial strain caused by the virus.
▪ Four staff members for Miami-Dade County Public Schools have transformed a secret migrant camp into a makeshift summer school.
▪ Protesters Tuesday gathered outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Miami field office to urge the federal government to cut ties with the Glades Count Sheriff’s Office because of its handling of the coronavirus.
▪ Franchise companies are one of the few businesses thriving and investing in South Florida real estate during the pandemic.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on June 11."
