Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on July 6
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.
DeSantis downplays COVID surge, suggests it was more prevalent than state admitted
6:30 p.m.: As the number of coronavirus cases in Florida continued to explode, Gov. Ron DeSantis went to the heart of the state’s largest retirement community Monday and emphasized that while Florida is showing exponential growth in the number of COVID-19 infections, particularly among people in their 20s and 30s, he considers this nothing new.
“Cases are simply detected infections,’’ he said, pointing to a series of slides. “There have been way more infections than documented cases,’’ he said. “But it’s not really evidence that it’s more prevalent.”
The governor downplayed reports that Florida was reporting record number of cases in the last two weeks, when the state went from 100,000 to more than 200,000 cases on Sunday. Previously, it had taken nearly three months for the state to get to 100,000 cases.
Read the full story here.
Food distributions this week
6:15 p.m.: Here’s a look at the distributions being held in Miami-Dade
▪ North Beach Drive-Thru Food Distribution: South Florida Seniors in Action, Farm Share Florida and Commissioner David Richardson will host their weekly drive-thru food distribution from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at 8700 Collins Ave. The distribution is on a first come, first serve basis. For more information call 305-604-CITY (2489) or visit www.miamibeachfl.gov/food.
▪ Overtown Youth Center distribution: South Florida food manufacturer DeliverLean has partnered with Farm Share to provide produce boxes to Alonzo Mourning’s Overtown Youth Center at 8 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning Wednesday, July 8 at Gibson Park, 401 NW 12th St.. Three hundred boxes containing fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and other items will be distributed each day. Registration is not required.
▪ Greynold’s Park drive-through food distribution: Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally A. Heyman and Feeding South Florida will hold the distribution beginning at 9 a.m. Friday at Greynolds Park, 18501 NE 22nd Ave. in North Miami Beach. For more information visit feedingsouthflorida.org/covid19.
Inter Miami forward leaves Orlando bubble, out for MLS is Back tournament. Here’s why
5 p.m.: Inter Miami forward Robbie Robinson, the club’s No. 1 draft pick, left the team’s Orlando bubble for personal reasons on Sunday and will not be available for the MLS is Back Tournament.
Paul McDonough, the team’s chief operating officer and sporting director, stressed that Robinson “did not test positive for COVID-19” but had to go home to be with his family and once a player leaves the bubble he is not allowed to return.
“Robbie is not in the bubble any longer,” McDonough told the Herald Monday. “He did not test positive. Something came up, we discussed it, and for personal reasons Robbie decided to leave the bubble. It made more sense for him to leave the bubble and sort it out. Once you leave you can’t come back in, so we thought this maybe was something we could have taken care of from there, but we decided it was better for him to sort it out by leaving.”
Read the full story here.
‘I feel beaten down.’ Miami restaurant owners face second coronavirus shut down
3:45 p.m.: Just as Michael Beltran was planning to reopen one of his restaurants, the county ordered it again to close.
At 11:12 a.m. Monday, the exact time chef Beltran’s public relations firm sent out a press release announcing the rebranding of his Coconut Grove restaurant The Taurus, the county mayor’s office sent out an email announcing Carlos Gimenez’s decision to close dining rooms again at all restaurants starting Wednesday.
“I’m a fiery, feisty fighter, but right now I feel beaten down,” Beltran said. “I feel like my soul has been sucked out of my body.”
Read the full story here.
Miami-Dade restaurants, gyms closing again under new order targeting COVID surge
2:35 p.m.: Miami-Dade County restaurants must close dining rooms and gyms must shut down again this week under a planned emergency order by Mayor Carlos Gimenez as he continues to retreat from a May reopening plan that has proven unable to prevent a surge in new coronavirus cases.
“We want to ensure that our hospitals continue to have the staffing necessary to save lives,” Gimenez said in a statement.
The restaurant closure order will allow takeout and delivery to continue, Gimenez said. Last week, Gimenez ordered the closures of casinos, movie theaters and strip clubs while mandating masks in most public spaces.
Gimenez announced the planned order to take effect Wednesday, and said it also forces closures of gyms and fitness centers, ballrooms and short-term vacation rentals.
Read the full story here.
Florida sees 6,336 additional coronavirus cases, pushing total past 206,000
2:30 p.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Monday confirmed 6,336 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 206,447. There were also 47 new deaths announced, raising the statewide death toll to 3,778.
There were no new non-resident deaths announced, keeping the statewide non-resident death total at 101.
The state began adding antigen test results to Florida’s case totals on Thursday. Antigen tests are a new category of tests that detect fragments of proteins found in the virus by testing samples collected by nose swabs. The FDA authorized the first antigen COVID-19 tests in May.
Read the full story here.
COVID-19 could lead to increase in tick-borne illness, experts say. Here’s why
10:30 a.m.: As if you needed anything else to worry about in 2020, summer is here — which means tick season is, too.
While experts say ticks are expected to be about average this year, they say the U.S. may see an uptick in Lyme disease cases due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Why? Because people stuck at home are spending more time outside, Today reported.
Keys city to Florida: Please cancel lobster miniseason because of coronavirus
10:20 a.m.: For two days at the end of every July, thousands of people come to South Florida, particularly the Florida Keys, to hunt for their bag limit of spiny lobster.
The annual event began decades ago and was aimed at bringing tourists to the region during the slower summer season and to ease tensions between recreational and commercial lobster anglers in advance of the regular eight-month season, which begins Aug. 6.
While lobster “miniseason” does boost the economy, many locals fear and hate it because it also brings with it mayhem and crowds on the water, congestion on U.S. 1, poaching and other headaches.
Officials in one municipality are especially concerned that this year it may also bring increased cases of the novel coronavirus.
‘Abundance of caution’: Hollywood indefinitely closes summer camps starting July 6
10 a.m.: Hollywood will close all of its city-operated summer camps following the Fourth of July weekend.
The city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts announced Saturday that all camps will be closed starting Monday, July 6 until further notice. The announcement does not include private camps.
“The decision to close the camps was made out of an abundance of caution, due to the increase in positive cases of COVID-19 in South Florida,” reads the city’s announcement.
Read the full story here.
South Florida beaches closed during the Fourth of July because of coronavirus. Are they open again?
9:25 a.m.: Beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties have reopened Monday after being closed during the Fourth of July holiday weekend because of the recent rise of COVID-19 cases.
Miami-Dade beaches, including at state parks such as Oleta River State Park in North Miami Beach, will remain closed through at least Tuesday.
This means you can’t swim, walk, run, fish or do any other activities along the beach, said Miami-Dade County spokeswoman Patricia Abril. She says there may be some public bridges where people will be allowed to fish if they wear a mask and stay at least six feet away from other fishermen.
Miami-Dade County says the closures might be extended depending on whether coronavirus conditions improve and whether people are following the “new normal” rules, including the new mandate that masks must be worn inside and outside at all times.
Oleta River State Park is open for other recreational activities such as hiking and biking along the trails. Other state parks such as The Barnacle Historic State Park in Miami and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne will be closed completely because of the beach shutdown order.
Monroe County and Key West beaches and parks will also remain closed until the morning of Tuesday, July 7.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9:20 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Monday begins.
▪ Third highest single-day total, 10,059, pushes Florida past 200,000 COVID-19 cases
▪ ‘OSHA is AWOL’: Critics say federal agency is where workplace COVID-19 complaints go to die
▪ Protesters defy Fourth of July Fort Lauderdale Beach closure; no arrests made
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on July 6."
