Governor Ron DeSantis held a news conference Tuesday morning and announced new protective measures for Florida. Read Executive Order

• Effective 5PM today, all bars and nightclubs are ordered closed for 30 days.
• All restaurants are ordered to reduce their seating capacity by 50 percent of their building occupancy, stagger seating to support social distancing of 6 feet between patrons with no groups larger than 10, utilize take out and delivery when possible, and screen all employees.
• All colleges and universities are urged to switch to remote learning for the rest of the spring semester. Campuses are to be closed and students sent home.

The Governor stressed that these measures represent a minimum response for Florida. Municipalities are free to announce more stringent measures, based on local circumstances, as demonstrated by Fort Lauderdale today.

Governor DeSantis announced that Florida currently has 192 cases of COVID-19. Some Florida counties have no cases. As of 11 a.m. today, Broward County had 43 confirmed cases. Tracking Map

A request from the state to assist with a mobile testing site at C. B. Smith Park, which will require the park to temporarily close. We have no other details at this time.

As shared earlier today, and reported by the media, there were 3 deaths of elderly individuals at the same assisted living facility. Thus far, only one of those individuals has tested positive for COVID-19 while the results for the other two are still pending.

They expect to make an announcement regarding Broward County Libraries tomorrow.

Broward County officials are in ongoing communication with neighboring counties, all County municipalities as well as consulting with County agency leadership to determine best next steps for Broward County and the region. This is a very fluid situation, and Broward County is assessing all of the information and recommendations coming in from health professionals and emergency managers on an ongoing basis.

They have proactively canceled all of the programs and activities at our libraries and at our parks, but the facilities currently remain open. Several weeks ago, we stepped up sanitizing procedures at all County government facilities.

There have been no reports of Broward County employees testing positive for COVID-19.

Health Department-recommended protective actions include:

• Avoid groups larger than 10.
• Avoid people who are sick.
• If you are sick, stay home. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and/or severe illness), call the Florida Department of Health at 954-412-7300 BEFORE visiting your health care provider, and follow their instructions.
• Take steps to protect vulnerable individuals – especially seniors over age 65 with underlying health issues. Remember the greatest percentage of individuals with a positive result fully recuperate.

Check this state Department of Health tracking map to stay informed. For the latest updates, visit FloridaHealth.gov, email COVID-19@flhealth.gov or call the FDOH Call Center at 866-779-6121. To learn what Broward County is doing, visit Broward.org/Coronavirus.