Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on June 18
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.
You’re probably using hand sanitizer wrong. Here’s the correct way, CDC says
6:10 p.m.: Using hand sanitizer is recommend by health experts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but you may not be applying it correctly..
A new study published in the peer-reivewed journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that using hand sanitizer for at least 30 seconds inactivated the coronavirus.
The study used sanitizer formulations approved by the World Health Organizations, containing either 80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol. The virus was found to be “efficiently inactivated” within 30 seconds of sanitizer use.
Read the full story here.
Strip clubs, movie theaters start opening in Miami-Dade despite coronavirus trends
5:30 p.m.: On Wednesday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said police would be ramping up enforcement of COVID-19 rules for reopened businesses, pointing to an increase in coronavirus case totals and a “slight uptick” in hospitalizations over the past couple of weeks.
But even as Gimenez and other local officials — including the mayors of Miami and Miami Beach — acknowledge that the novel coronavirus in South Florida may be trending in the wrong direction, the county continues to allow a wide range of businesses to reopen that have been closed since March.
That includes strip clubs, at least five of which got county approval to reopen last week after submitting safety plans. Some of their new safety measures include installing hand-sanitizing stations next to their ATMs and requiring all employees to wear masks. At some strip clubs, masks as well as gloves will be required for any performances closer than six feet.
Read the full story here.
New unemployment claims dropping in Florida as state reopens, but economy still hit hard
5 p.m.: New unemployment claims in Florida hit 86,298 for the week ending June 13, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday —the second straight week that the initial figure hit a new post-pandemic low as the Sunshine State continues to reopen.
New jobless claims across the U.S also. continued to fall. For the prior week, seasonally adjusted initial claims hit 1.5 million — a decrease of 58,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
The state and federal data represent the claims for unemployment assistance from individuals who have lost their jobs.
Read the full story here.
Some recreational facilities open in Miami Beach
4 p.m.: Miami Beach’s Normandy and Flamingo pools will open Friday, but water playgrounds will remain closed. The pools will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day.
Rules include:
▪ Open swim time is limited to one hour. The time can increase if there is no one waiting.
▪ No groups of 10 or more will be allowed and all patrons must maintain social distancing of 6 feet at all times.
▪ Masks are required to enter and leave pool area, but not in the pool.
▪ Sunbathing is not permitted.
The Ice Skating Rink at the Scott Rakow Youth Center will reopen on Monday, June 22.
The rink will be open from noon to 7:45 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; from 10 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Wednesday; closed Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Sunday.
Rules include:
▪ No groups of 10 or more will be allowed and all patrons must maintain social distancing of 6 feet at all times.
▪ Masks must be worn to enter and exit the skating rink.
▪ Participants must bring their own equipment including skates, gloves and hockey sticks.
▪ Bring your water bottle because water fountains will not be available.
For more information, call 305-673-7767 or visit the Parks and Recreation website at www.miamibeachparks.com.
Visiting the Florida Keys? Bring a mask to comply with a new law
3:15p.m.: Don’t forget your mask if you’re visiting the Florida Keys.
It’s now a law to cover both your nose and mouth with some type of facial covering when inside a bar, restaurant or other business with a roof.
And, locals, it’s best to carry one with you whenever you leave home, Monroe County leaders say.
Florida Keys leaders this week unanimously decided to make wearing a face mask mandatory while inside a public place, with exceptions such as while eating or drinking.
Read the full story here.
DeSantis attributes COVID surge to farm workers. Aid groups say testing help came late
2:15 p.m.: Public health experts and aid groups are challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis’s assertion this week that migrant farm workers are driving Florida’s record surge in COVID-19 cases — noting that state help with testing, face masks and educational outreach has been late to reach agricultural communities.
After DeSantis said last week that “the No. 1 outbreak we’ve seen is in agricultural communities” and followed up this week with statements that “overwhelmingly Hispanic” farm workers and day laborers were the leading source of new cases, Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried fired back, noting that the majority of farm workers left several weeks ago after harvests ended and that cases are spiking in non-agricultural areas.
But many farm workers live in Florida year round, and public health experts who work with those communities say the state has only recently begun to ramp up testing and public health education campaigns in agricultural communities, where cramped working and living conditions can fuel an outbreak of COVID-19.
Read the full story here.
As COVID-19 cases rise, Miami Beach is not enforcing its own face mask rules at beaches
1:30 p.m.: Six weeks ago, widespread noncompliance with face-mask rules led Miami Beach to temporarily close one of its most popular parks.
The high-profile closure of South Pointe Park received national media coverage and furthered the city’s standing as a leader among other Florida municipalities for its quick action in closing beaches and imposing a curfew.
Now, with cases on the rise and beaches reopened, the city has taken a different approach: It doesn’t enforce its own rules mandating face masks or social distancing when people are with non-family members.
Read the full story here.
Nurse cared for COVID-19 patients then caught it. Loophole leaves her quarantine unpaid
12:45 p.m.: As a dialysis nurse, Daniele Haddad regularly spends hours alongside patients who’ve tested positive for COVID-19.
It wasn’t a surprise to her when — despite a double layer of face masks, a face shield, a gown and gloves — she tested positive for COVID-19 in May. The surprise came when her employer told her she wasn’t going to get paid for the mandatory quarantine period, despite the fact that a government program passed in April would cover the costs.
Haddad fell into a loophole in the federal law that Democrats call a “poison pill” and Republicans say helped avoid a shortage of healthcare workers. She’s not alone. A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 17 million healthcare workers in the U.S. are exempted from the paid leave benefits offered in the federal bill.
Read the full story here.
Number of new coronavirus cases in Florida hits a daily record high of 3,207
12 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday morning confirmed 3,207 additional cases of COVID-19, setting the record for the highest daily total since the state began tracking.
There are now 85, 926 confirmed cases in Florida.
The state’s previous daily record high in was 2, 783 on Tuesday.
There were also 43 new deaths announced Thursday, raising the statewide death toll to 3,061.
Read the full story here.
Grief and Loss in the Time of COVID-19
11:30: a.m.: As part of its virtual workshop series, the Jewish Community Services of South Florida is holding a Zoom session focusing on loss during the pandemic.
The session will be at 7 p.m. Monday.
Chaya Lerner, a licensed clinical social worker and a rabbinic pastor student, will lead the workshop.
Once registered, a meeting idea and password will be provided.
Coronavirus outbreak strikes dozens of Miami VA staff. No workers hospitalized yet
10 a.m.: Some 30 healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Miami VA hospital during the past week — the largest outbreak at the facility since the start of the pandemic — a spokesman said Wednesday.
The spike in employees testing positive for the highly contagious respiratory disease prompted further assessments of more than 200 workers at the veterans’ hospital in downtown Miami, the spokesman said, adding that none of the people who tested positive recently have yet been hospitalized.
An “infection control investigation” resulted in 28 employees testing positive for the virus and being quarantined at home — doubling the total number of COVID-19 cases among Miami VA staff employees since the pandemic hit South Florida in March, spokesman Shane Suzuki said.
Read the full story here.
Broward preschool camp suspended after two teachers test positive for COVID-19
9:15 a.m.: Two teachers at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center in Davie have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, resulting in the preschool camp being suspended, officials said.
On Wednesday morning, the community center learned that a second preschool staff member and that person’s child had tested positive for COVID-19, said Scott Ehrlich, CEO of the David Posnack JCC.
This came after a teacher had tested positive last week, Ehrlich said.
Read the full story here.
Miami-Dade COVID numbers worsen. Mayor: People ‘too comfortable’ ignoring mask rules
9:10 a.m.: A month into his reopening plan for Miami-Dade’s economy, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Wednesday cited worsening COVID-19 statistics and warned of “some people getting a little too comfortable about not wearing masks.”
In an afternoon video message, Gimenez warned that Miami-Dade would start closing businesses if they didn’t enforce emergency coronavirus rules requiring customers to wear masks.
He also speculated that two weeks of outdoor demonstrations against racial injustice were likely contributing to the rising infection rate in Florida’s largest county.
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 Wednesday begins.
▪ Florida finds no evidence of fraud by Miami hospital charging $150 for COVID-19 tests
▪ Despite recent surge of COVID-19 cases, FIU plans to resume in-person classes in the fall
▪ 16 friends went out for a drink at a Florida bar. Then they tested positive for coronavirus
▪ Florida coronavirus death toll hits 3,000 as state cases rise to 82,719
▪ How many people have recovered from coronavirus in Florida? It’s complicated
▪ Florida nursing homes to test staff for COVID-19 every 2 weeks under emergency rule
▪ COVID-19 foreclosure ban for homeowners extended through Aug. 31. But there’s a catch
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on June 18."
