Coronavirus live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on April 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.
CARNIVAL’S CUNARD AND P&O CRUISES EXTEND CANCELLATIONS
5:30 p.m.: Cruise lines Cunard and P&O Cruises are extending cancellations through the end of July.
The lines, both owned by Miami-based Carnival Corporation, made the announcements Thursday. They join other Carnival Corp. brands: Carnival Cruise Line canceled U.S. cruises through June 26, and Princess Cruises and Seabourn canceled all cruises through June 30.
Read the full story here.
OPA-LOCKA PASTOR ARRESTED AFTER PUNCHING ROTARY CLUB PRESIDENT AT FOOD GIVEAWAY
4:15 p.m.: With the coronavirus pandemic melting down South Florida’s economy, the Rotary Club this week planned to give away over 1,000 bags of groceries to the most impoverished neighborhood of Opa-locka.
One of the city’s longest serving churches, Mount Tabor Baptist Ministries, also happens to do a weekly food giveaway.
But what started out as a cooperative effort between the two charitable groups ended, police say, when a 70-year-old Opa-locka pastor punched a Rotary Club president.
Pastor Burnice Mikell was jailed and charged with aggravated battery on an elderly person. He’s out of jail now on bond, and is also awaiting trial on an earlier domestic-violence case. He is claiming self-defense.
Read the full story here.
THIRD VET DIES AT STATE VA NURSING HOME IN PEMBROKE PINES
2 p.m.: A third military veteran who was diagnosed with the coronavirus at a state VA nursing home in Pembroke Pines has died in a local hospital, according to the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
But the recent outbreak of 13 positive COVID-19 cases at the Alexander Nininger State Veterans’ Nursing Home has “stabilized” over the past week, agency spokesman Steve Murray said Wednesday.
Read the full story here.
HOW MANY CORONAVIRUS CASES HAVE BEEN LINKED TO CRUISES?
1:30 p.m.: No government or international regulatory agency is comprehensively tracking cases of COVID-19 linked to cruise ships — at least not publicly. Experts say having accurate data is crucial — now and in the future — for passengers, regulators and the industry to understand and assess the risk of cruising during a pandemic. “We’re not doing a great job of counting,” said Dr. Roderick King, CEO of the Florida Institute for Health Innovation. “When it comes to a pandemic, it’s all about the counting.”
Over the past month, the Miami Herald has attempted to fill that void with reliable data. By compiling information from governments, media outlets, non-governmental organizations and companies, the Herald has created the most comprehensive tracking system of coronavirus cases linked to the cruise industry.
Read the entire piece here, which includes comprehensive data on COVID-19 cases connected to cruises.
FISHER ISLAND ASKING RESIDENTS WHETHER IT SHOULD ACCEPT $2M FEDERAL LOAN
12:10 p.m.: The homeowners’ association for Fisher Island, an exclusive enclave near Miami that recently bought enough COVID-19 antibody tests for all of its residents and workers, has been approved for a $2 million loan through a federal program intended to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, according to an email the association sent Wednesday, the association is taking a straw poll of residents on whether to accept the payout.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the Fisher Island Community Association — the master homeowners’ group for the wealthiest ZIP code in the United States — would plan to use the money.
Read the full story here.
FLORIDA’S UPDATED CASE NUMBERS
11:50 a.m.: Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday morning confirmed 256 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total of confirmed cases to 28,832. The statewide death toll is nearing 1,000, with 33 new deaths announced. The toll is now at 960.
Miami-Dade County (10,356 confirmed COVID-19 cases) and Broward County (4,315 confirmed COVID-19 cases) combine to make up 50.9 percent of Florida’s confirmed case total.
Read the full update on Florida’s case numbers here. The state’s numbers will be updated again Thursday evening.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY MISSES OUT ON 1 MILLION N95 MASKS
10:05 a.m.: Miami-Dade’s emergency arm was close to taking possession of 1 million N95 masks last week, but the shipment was “taken” by the federal government, WLRN reported.
Frank Rollason, Miami-Dade’s emergency director, described the shipment as “hijacked” by federal authorities during a desperate dash to secure medical-grade masks needed to protect first responders and front-line workers from the spread of COVID-19.
Read the full story here.
AN UPDATE ON FLORIDA’S JOBLESS CLAIMS
9:40 a.m.: In Florida, about 505,000 jobless claims were filed in the week ending on April 18. That’s a jump of more than 350,000 from the prior week.
The Sunshine State has seen more than 1 million jobless claims in the past five weeks, since the COVID-19 outbreak hit. Because filers may have filed multiple times, total claims do not necessarily reflect the total number of jobless. Florida’s newly released unemployment dashboard shows 680,000 unique claims had been filed in the past month, with about 29 percent processed and 16 percent of claimants paid.
Read the full story here.
MARLINS PARK, OTHER MIAMI-DADE SITES NOW OFFERING COVID-19 RETESTING
9:25 a.m.: In a change of policy, Florida’s Department of Health said three drive-through sites in Miami-Dade would begin accepting appointments Thursday for people who tested positive for COVID-19 and want to be tested again.
Olga Connor, a spokeswoman for the agency’s Miami-Dade office, said the Thursday appointments will be for retesting Friday at three sites: Marlins Park, the Youth Fair site at Tamiami Park and the South Dade Government Center.
Like all tests at those drive-through locations, the retests will be free. Appointments are required, and people interested in being retested should call 305-499-8767.
To qualify for a retest, a person must be an adult from Miami-Dade who tested positive for COVID-19 more than 14 days ago.
Read the full story here.
CATCH UP TO START THE DAY
9:15 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Thursday begins.
▪ Florida nearing 1,000 COVID-19 deaths; high rate of death at long-term care facilities
▪ ‘This is our only shot.’ Miami small businesses worry latest federal money won’t reach them
▪ Where are the doctors? Governor’s re-open task force members ask for medical advice
▪ Coral Gables residents want COVID-19 testing in their city. Getting it is a struggle
▪ South Florida hotels hurting more than anywhere else as COVID-19 pandemic continues
▪ Reopening the Florida Keys is a matter of timing. The big question for leaders is when
▪ Now that Jacksonville opened its beaches, these Florida counties and cities are following
▪ More rapid tests are coming to FL. COVID-19 testing capacity will double, DeSantis says
▪ Disney World, Disneyland may not be the same post-coronavirus. Here’s what could change
