Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on July 23
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.
University of Miami professors upset over school’s plan to have in-person classes amid rising COVID cases
3:25 p.m.: As Miami-Dade County — the epicenter of the pandemic in Florida — reports thousands of COVID-19 cases each day, some faculty and staff at the University of Miami are pushing back over the school’s plan to reopen its campuses, feeling the administration has ignored their pleadings over personal safety.
The private university, based in Coral Gables, granted its nearly 17,000 students the power to decide how to learn, but failed to do the same for many of its approximately 16,000 faculty and staff, full and part time, some employees said.
Read the full story here.
A dad told him to wear a mask in Walmart. He responded by pulling a pistol, police say
3 p.m.: South Florida was the site of yet another mask confrontation, this time at a Walmart and involving two fathers, a gun and several obscenities.
Vincent Scavetta, 28, was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and improper exhibition of a firearm after deputies say he pulled a gun on another man who advised him to wear a mask. Court records show Scavetta is being held in Palm Beach County’s Main Detention Center on $15,000 bond.
Read the full story here.
Need a mask? A visit to a Miami-Dade library can fix that problem
1:45 p.m.: A mask is required pretty much anywhere you go in Miami-Dade these days, and the county wants to make it a little easier for everyone to comply
Beginning Thursday, all 50 Miami-Dade Public Library System locations will have free face masks to give anyone in need.
The masks will be available as long as supplies last, the county said.
Read the full story here.
Florida hit with 173 coronavirus deaths, a new record. Case totals run past 389,800
11:35 a.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 10,249 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 389,868. There were also 173 new Florida resident deaths announced, bringing the statewide resident death toll to 5,518.
The 173 deaths mark the highest single-day death toll announced by the Florida Department of Health since the pandemic began, but it does not necessarily mean that every person died within the past 24 hours. Previously, the highest single-day toll was reported on July 16 with 156 deaths.
Read the full story here.
Reopenings, rollbacks, closures: Here’s what you can and can’t do this weekend, Miami
9:30 a.m.: Keeping track of what’s open and closed during the COVID-19 pandemic can be confusing, which is partly why we plan to stay home as usual.
The other part is we really, really do not want to be exposed to the coronavirus.
But if you are desperate to get out of the house, here’s where you can go. Just remember that Miami-Dade County has a daily curfew from 10 p.m.-6 a.m., while Miami Beach’s entertainment district has a daily 8 p.m. curfew. The district includes Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue and Collins Avenue from Fifth to 16th streets.
Also, masks are now mandatory in Miami-Dade County with a few exceptions; if you’re caught without one, you can face fines up to $100.
Read the full story here.
Fewer people file for unemployment benefits in Florida, but claims rise in rest of U.S.
9:15 a.m.: While fewer people filed for jobless benefits in Florida last week, unemployment claims unexpectedly rose across the rest of the U.S., signaling the country’s economic picture remains grim amid the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Sunshine State saw 105,410 new claims for state and federal jobless benefits for the week ending July 18 — 27,421 fewer than the week before, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday.
But the U.S. saw new claims rise from 1.3 million to 1.4 million on the week, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 100,000.
Read the full story here.
COVID-19 test result delays worsen in South Florida as surge swamps lab
8:30 a.m.: As COVID-19 cases spike in South Florida, the rush for tests has clogged the system, slowing turnaround time to get results to a week or more — much longer than the 48 hours public health experts say is needed to help control the pandemic.
“Before this thing exploded, we were very close to the point where I could say with confidence that anyone in Miami-Dade County that wanted a test could get a test,” said Maurice Kemp, the deputy Miami-Dade mayor who oversees the county’s testing sites. “We’re not at that point anymore.”
The lag time has ripple effects for efforts to contain the virus, making contact tracing less accurate and potentially exposing more people to asymptomatic carriers. It also has economic impacts, taking workers away from jobs for extended periods while awaiting results.
Read the full story here.
9-year-old girl dies from coronavirus. She is the youngest child to die in Florida
8:25 a.m.: A 9-year-old girl has died from the novel coronavirus in Putnam County, Florida, making her the youngest to die from the virus in the state. Four other children have passed, health officials say.
Read the full story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
8:20 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Thursday begins.
▪ Miami-Dade hits 92,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases as Florida’s total rises to 379,619.
▪ U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell introduces bill that would allow for child-care centers to use federal funds to invest in personal protective equipment and cleaning materials.
▪ White House privately warns 11 cities must take ‘aggressive’ action in COVID fight — Miami is one of them.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 9:06 AM with the headline "Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on July 23."
