Florida’s self-isolation mandate applies only to certain countries, health officials say
Two hours after alarming state residents by saying anyone who traveled outside the country should “self-isolate” for 14 days, Florida health officials corrected themselves, saying in a news release that the guidance applies only to people who traveled to certain hot spots for transmission.
Around 2 p.m. Monday, under the heading of an “update,” the Florida Department of Health corrected a noon release that erroneously said the agency was “advising all individuals who have traveled internationally to self-isolate for 14 days following their date of return to the United States.”
The corrected release said that guidance was actually “mandatory” but only applies to “Level 3” countries: Italy, China, South Korea and Iran. The agency clarified that mandatory self-isolation for travelers from those countries came from guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Those returning from cruises and other countries that have seen cases should self-isolate for 14 days, and, if they become symptomatic, “immediately self-isolate and contact your county health department or health care provider,” the updated release said.
State health officials fumbled the guidance after a weekend that illuminated a half-dozen newly discovered cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus spreading globally, across Florida. More than a half-dozen cases were announced in the past few days, including three in Broward County.
At a press conference Monday evening, Governor DeSantis could not offer an explanation for the health department’s mistake, other than to say it was supposed to reference the countries the CDC had identified as “Level 3.”
But he did caution that older people and those with complicating health conditions should “think twice about international travel.”
“I think that’s a risk for you,” DeSantis said, addressing those people. “But that [news release] was supposed to reference the CDC.”
The misstep had an immediate impact in South Florida, where the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office sent a memo advising all employees who had traveled internationally within the last two weeks to go home because of the advisory.
“Employees returning from their travel who do not have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing must stay home and monitor their health for 14 calendar days after their return to the United States,” according to the email sent to prosecutors and staff at 1:57 p.m.
The decision complicated the schedules of already overworked state prosecutors, many preparing for key trials or hearings for accused criminal-court defendants.
The email noted that prosecutors would have to be available to take work phone calls during their time in self-quarantine. Staffers were being granted “administrative leave,” meaning they wouldn’t have had to use sick or vacation days.
Another Miami resident, Christopher Sanchez, 28, said he canceled his flight to Jamaica just an hour before state officials corrected themselves, and now he can’t get a refund. His brother, also a Miami resident, Sanchez added, canceled a flight to Cancun. The two had planned to meet in Tulum, on Mexico’s coastline.
“We canceled these flights an hour ago due to the ridiculous statement made by [the Florida Department of Health] about self-quarantine at home for 14 days,” Sanchez said.
After the press release mix-up, some Democrats chastised the Department of Health’s response.
“Lawmakers should not be having to go on Twitter to help correct important press releases for the Florida Department of Health,” said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando. “There is way too much misinformation and panic out there on coronavirus, making clear and direct information to the press and public even more important.”
House Democratic Leader Kionne McGhee echoed the sentiment, noting that misinformation makes Floridians “confused and scared.”
“These errors underscore the lack of preparedness and attention to detail within the Department of Health in dealing with the worst public health emergency in decades,” said McGhee, D-Miami. “Purely unacceptable.”
A dozen Florida residents have been diagnosed in the state so far. Four of those patients — including the three Broward County ones — had no known travel history. Two of the patients, both in their 70s, have died: a Santa Rosa County man and a Lee County woman.
On Sunday, as state health officials announced the latest Broward County case — a 67-year-old-man — federal health officials warned that as the country sees more cases of the disease, it would move from “containment” to “mitigation.”
That signifies that health officials will focus on limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus through measures such as social distancing, where people are encouraged to avoid crowded gatherings and unnecessary travel.
Earlier on Sunday, the U.S. State Department warned residents, especially older people and those with underlying health conditions, not to go on cruises, delivering what could be a major blow to one of South Florida’s largest industries.
There are 18 known COVID-19 cases with Florida ties. In addition to the 12 state residents diagnosed in Florida, five were diagnosed and isolated in another state, and one non-Florida resident, a California woman in her 20s, is isolating in Florida.
As of Monday at noon, the state said it had received 140 negative test results and that 115 tests were still pending. That means, including the positive cases, the state has run about 268 novel coronavirus tests since public health labs in Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville began testing on Feb. 29.
The Department of Health has also opened a 24/7 call center, at 866-779-6121, to help answer questions about the novel coronavirus.
Miami Herald Staff Writers David Ovalle and Samantha Gross contributed to this report.
A previous version of this story provided an incorrect phone number for the Department of Health call center for questions about coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 9, 2020 at 12:58 PM.
