Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on June 25
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.
Apple closing all South Florida stores again due to rising Florida coronavirus cases
6:15 p.m.: All stand-alone Apple stores in South Florida will be temporarily shut down again due to Florida’s surging number of coronavirus cases over the past two weeks, according to reports.
On Friday, Apple will re-close 14 stores in Florida, including all stores in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, the company said in a statement to CNBC. This comes after two Southwest Florida stores, in Naples and Estero, were closed again on Wednesday.
“Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas,” Apple said in a statement. “We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible.”
Read the full story here.
Marlins player who used team’s Jupiter facility in June tested positive for coronavirus
6 p.m.: A Miami Marlins player who took part in individual workouts at the team’s spring training facility in Jupiter tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a source confirmed Thursday. It’s the first known case of a Marlins players testing positive.
The player, who was not named, last used the team’s training complex at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in early June and did not have contact with other teammates while there. The player was asymptomatic at the time.
South Florida radio host Craig Mish was the first to report specifics.
Read the full story here.
COVID-19 cases surged — and 1 in 5 Floridians just kept going out to eat, survey says
5:30 p.m.: Despite their unvanquished need to wear bathing suits year-round, people in Florida love to eat. And they really love to eat at their favorite restaurants.
Even when it might not be the best idea.
As part of its daily coronovirus tracking for the week of June 15-21, SurveyMonkey reports that one of five of Floridians surveyed said they’d been out to eat at a restaurant or bar in the previous 24 hours — even as coronavirus numbers skyrocketed in the state. That’s 21 percent, a higher percentage than the national average of 18 percent
Read the full story here.
Food distribution in Northeast Miami-Dade
5:10 p.m.: Miami-Dade Parks, along with Feeding South Florida and Commissioner Sally Heyman, will hold its final free food distribution in Northeast Miami-Dade.
The drive-thru event will be held form 9 to 11 a.m. at Greynolds Park, 18501 NE 22ND Ave.
Anyone who attends must remain in their car.
For more information visit https://feedingsouthflorida.org.
More Publix and Aldi stores hit with coronavirus cases as Florida’s numbers rise
4:15 p.m.: As Florida sees record-breaking days of COVID-19 cases, Publix and Aldi grocery stores have confirmed to the Miami Herald that an additional 13 of their locations have had employees test positive for the virus in South Florida.
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the Herald has confirmed over 40 grocery stores — including Publix, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market — have had employees test positive.
In April, the Miami Herald reported 27 grocery stores in Miami-Dade and Broward counties had positive workers. They included 20 Publix stores, three Trader Joe’s stores, three Aldi stores and a Whole Foods location.
Read the full story here.
Miami-Dade courts goes back to Phase 1
3:45 p.m.: With the rise of COVID-19 cases — there were more than 5,000 new cases Thursday — Miami-Dade Courts will return to Phase 1, which delays the reopening plan.
The reversal does not change the fact that there are still no in-person hearings except for emergency or mission-critical matters. Hearings are held through Zoom. Jury duty remains on hold.
The phases lay out a reopening plan. Earlier this month the courts went into Phase 2, which would have allowed grand juries to begin in 30 days.
“The transition back to Phase 1 of court operations was determined in consultation with medical experts due to the rise of new COVID-19 cases throughout Florida and Miami-Dade County,” a spokeswoman for the courts system said in a news release.
Protests and ‘COVID dementia.’ How tensions in Miami Lakes are shaping the race for HD-103
3 p.m.: Prompted by massive Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality around the country, Miami Lakes Vice Mayor and state House candidate Nelson Rodriguez asked the town council last week for his local police division to explain how they run background checks of new hires.
A day later, Rodriguez joined the town council meeting and apologized for sending the memo in the first place, blaming his word choice on “COVID dementia.” Rodriguez recently tested positive for COVID-19. (When asked by the Miami Herald what he meant by “COVID dementia,” Rodriguez dismissed it as a joke.)
What triggered the quick retraction was the reaction to his request, which was denounced by residents for being “politically motivated.” His own colleagues at the town council piled on the criticism, accusing him of asking for unnecessary oversight of law enforcement to seize a political moment and trying to “bring problems that don’t exist in Miami Lakes into Miami Lakes.”
Read the full story here.
Rebekah Jones renews COVID-19 criticism. DeSantis says it’s a ‘conspiracy bandwagon’
2 p.m.: As the state struggles with a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases, it’s also contending with criticism from the woman who designed the state’s public display of COVID-19 data, Rebekah Jones.
Jones was unceremoniously fired after claiming her supervisors were trying to make her manipulate data.
Rather than go away quietly, Jones designed her own competing dashboard, one that draws upon state data but offers an expanded menu of metrics, including hospital bed availability by facility, a key number, especially now as the number of confirmed cases soars. She says the state continues in its effort to twist the COVID-19 data for political reasons.
Read the full story here.
Florida reports 5,004 new coronavirus cases, second highest in a single day
1:15 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 5,004 additional cases of COVID-19, the state’s second-highest single day total since the pandemic began. The state now has 114,018 confirmed cases.
Thursday’s total of newly confirmed cases is 504 fewer than Wednesday’s record total of 5,508, the highest number of newly confirmed cases announced in a single day. There were also 46 new deaths announced Thursday, raising the statewide death toll to 3,327.
Read the full story here.
Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr. tests positive for COVID-19, according to source
12:45 p.m.: Miami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. tested positive for COVID-19, a league source told the Miami Herald.
Jones, 23, has been asymptomatic and still expects to participate in the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. He was tested Tuesday, when mandatory COVID-19 testing for NBA players and staff began to be issued on a regular basis.
Jones is the first known Heat player to test positive for the virus.
Read the full story here.
Businesses are open, but more unemployed file for help in Florida after 2-week drop
12 p.m.: Initial unemployment claims in Florida climbed the past week to more than 93,000, suggesting a full economic recovery remains out of reach.
The latest figure of 93,394 for the week ending June 20 from the U.S. Department of Labor, reported Thursday, is an increase of 5,246 from the prior week’s figure of 88,148. The figure had been falling for two straight weeks.
In addition, Florida’s count of continuing jobless claims, or those who have remained on unemployment for at least two consecutive weeks, climbed week on week from 920,202 to 965,117.
Read the full story here.
Donate blood get free COVID-19 antibody screening
11:15 a.m.: The One Blood bus will be behind Weston’s city hall until 2:30 p.m. Thursday for anyone who wants to donate.
Those who give blood will get a free T-shirt, wellness check and a COVID-19 antibody test.
To make an appointment, visit www.oneblood.org/donate-now and use the code 35108.
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Miami-Dade’s new COVID plan: hotel rooms for the infected, ‘surge’ teams to hot spots
10:50 a.m.: With coronavirus spread on the rise, Miami-Dade plans to provide free lodging for the infected and dispatch “surge” teams with masks and hand sanitizer to neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus.
The new steps announced by Mayor Carlos Gimenez on Wednesday followed news last week of a crackdown on businesses not enforcing existing mask rules. Police said Wednesday that its officers so far have closed fewer than a dozen establishments for COVID violations.
With more hospital beds filled with COVID cases and daily testing reports smashing through levels the county considers safe, Gimenez said he’s hoping a more localized response can slow the spread five weeks after he began lifting closure orders on the economy.
Read the full story here.
Miami Beach Small Business Grant Application
10:20 a.m.: Miami Beach is accepting applications until 5 p.m. Friday for its grant program for small businesses.
Small businesses can receive up to $10,000 in relief for losses caused by the pandemic. The money is part of the CARES Act, the Community Development Block Grant-Corona Virus (CDBG-CV) program.
Among the requirements: The business must have between two and five employees and be in good standing with the code compliance and finance departments.
The completed application should be emailed to MBbiz@miamibeachfl.gov.
Broward summer camp suspended after five confirmed coronavirus cases
9:45 a.m.: The David Posnack Jewish Community Center Upper Camp has been suspended after camp officials learned a camper had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the camp notified parents Wednesday in an email.
This comes one day after a counselor also tested positive. This is the fifth confirmed case of the virus at the Broward community center, which is based in Davie. Last week, the center’s preschool camp was suspended after two staffers and a camper tested positive.
On Wednesday, the center confirmed a camper at the upper camp had tested positive but did not release any information on the camper’s age or name. On Tuesday, camp officials confirmed that a counselor of the upper camp had tested positive. The counselor who tested positive was the counselor for the child who tested positive.
Read the full story here.
Columbus just held graduation at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The principal has COVID-19
9:15 a.m.:Days after Christopher Columbus High School held a grand graduation ceremony at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, the school’s principal tested positive for COVID-19.
Spokeswoman Cristina Cruz confirmed that Principal David Pugh tested positive on Wednesday for the novel coronavirus. She said he developed symptoms Saturday evening after the event, including a “very mild fever” but is otherwise OK. He was tested Sunday and received results Wednesday.
According to Cruz, Columbus has been conducting temperature checks for everyone on campus, including Pugh, whose last temperature check was Friday. She said he never experienced symptoms until late Saturday evening. When his fever didn’t break Sunday, he decided to get tested.
Read the full story here.
‘Exponential growth.’ Despite testing slowdown, Florida COVID cases hit all-time high
9:05 a.m.: With Florida reporting the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a single day on Wednesday, public health experts say the state could be witnessing exponential growth of the spread of the virus.
The alarming spike of new cases and the rising rate of positive tests led three states in the Northeast to order mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers from Florida while new accusations of data manipulation by the Florida Department of Health gained traction on social media and cable TV news.
Florida added 5,508 cases on Wednesday, a record high. Of the nearly 110,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed since March, nearly 30% or more than 31,680 cases have been reported in the last 10 days. And while cases surge in Miami-Dade and statewide, testing volume has flat-lined in Florida, which ranks 29th among all 50 states in testing per 100,000 people, according to a Johns Hopkins University analysis of data collected by the COVID Tracking Project.
Read 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.
▪ Amid new ‘zero tolerance’ COVID rules, Miami Beach closes restaurants with bar service
▪ As COVID-19 numbers surge, New York orders 14-day quarantine for visiting Floridians
▪ Broward County ramps up enforcement for businesses that don’t follow COVID-19 rules
▪ Florida reports a new single-day record of more than 5,500 coronavirus cases
▪ Craving a visit to an animal theme park? Jungle Island reopens with new rules
▪ A younger and less sick wave of COVID patients is surging through Miami-Dade hospitals
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on June 25."
