Update #13 on COVID-19

Today, Mayor Dale V.C. Holness held a news conference along with Florida Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez to update the public. View News Conference

 Port Everglades is operational. We are focused on keeping the Port functioning efficiently so fuel and cargo can be delivered as quickly as possible.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is operational. There are some reductions in flights, especially on the international side, due to the airlines adjusting to less travelers. Because of decreased demand, FLL has suspended valet parking service. Employees will temporarily park in the Cypress Garage, eliminating the need to be shuttled to terminals.

Broward County Libraries will be closed to the public at the close of regular service hours on Thursday, March 19^th. This will also be the last day customers can pick up holds or borrow books, digital tablets and other physical materials until the library reopens. The Library will not assess any fines for materials returned late as a result of the closure. Online services will still be available. Library staff will still report to their regular work locations. Check Broward.org/Library for updates.

The National Guard will soon deploy a team of nurses and medics to operate a COVID-19 testing location in Broward at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. In order to prepare, both the park and the Broward County Transit Park & Ride lot at the park have been closed until further notice. Watch for details about the testing locations. BCT’s 95 Express customers are advised to use the Park & Ride lot at Ansin Sports Complex, 10801 Miramar Boulevard in Miramar, until further notice. NOTE: Only health care professionals, first responders, and residents age 65 and older who are symptomatic will be screened.

Small Business Assistance

 There are two emergency small business loan programs designed to assist small businesses during during a disaster – the Florida Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program and the SBA Economic Injury Loan Program. Visit this website for more information. We are also continuing to encourage every Broward County business to complete the Florida Emergency Business Damage Assessment Survey at floridadisaster.biz.

People with Food Insecurity

 If residents are already receiving home-delivered meals from South Florida Meals on Wheels, that service will continue as usual. If a resident normally takes meals at a congregate meal site or senior center, and that facility has closed, that resident will receive home-delivered meals until their regular facility re-opens. 

Residents who are currently not participating in a meal program and are experiencing a food shortage due to COVID-19, can call the Area Agency on Aging of Broward’s Elder Helpline at 954-745-9779 for assistance.

It is critically important that all residents and visitors continue to follow the precautionary recommendations of health professionals. 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.

Check this state Department of Health tracking map to stay informed.

This update prepared by the Broward County Office of Public Communications

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The City of Deerfield Beach continues to monitor and adapt emergency plans for COVID-19 in its effort to slow the rate of transmission. The City is closing its public beach effective Wednesday, March 18, at 6 a.m.

In a meeting held this afternoon with the mayors and city managers of Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach, and the town manager of Lauderdale by the Sea, these cities have agreed to close their beaches effective Wednesday, March 18, at 6 a.m.

Additional Closures and Changes:

• The Deerfield Beach Aquatics Complex is closed until further notice.
• Bars and nightclubs in Deerfield Beach were ordered closed effective at 5 p.m. March 17 for 30 days, per the Governor’s orders.
• Building permits, engineering permits and inspections will be done by appointment only through those respective departments. (Building/Code 954-480-4238, Planning/Landscaping 954-480-4206)
• Restaurants that choose to remain open must operate at 50-percent occupancy capacity, maintain social distancing, and abide by all other CDC guidelines. All restaurants are required to be closed to dining by 10 p.m., with exceptions to takeout/delivery.
• The International Fishing Pier will be closed to sightseeing, and only fishing will be allowed from 5 a.m. to midnight, effective immediately.

Utilities:

The City of Deerfield Beach will not be turning off any water services in the Deerfield Beach service area for overdue accounts until further notice.

They want to remind residents to follow public health advice regarding hygiene, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.

For more information, contact the 24-hour Florida Department of Health hotline, 1-866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov. 

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.

Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Violent Crimes detectives are releasing images of a male subject and vehicle involved in a shooting that occurred in Pompano Beach recently.

On March 13, 2020, at approximately 9:19 p.m., a BSO deputy patrolling the community heard gunfire and immediately responded toward the directions of the gunfire. Upon deputies’ arrival to the area, they located a juvenile male with multiple gunshot wounds at the 700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Pompano Beach. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue transported the juvenile male to a nearby hospital where he is stabilized and listed in critical condition.

An unknown person depicted on the photograph, driving a newer model blue VW Tiguan, shot the 17 year old male multiple times. BSO detectives are asking for any assistance in locating the suspect.

To see pictures, visit www.sheriff.org/PIO/BSONews/Pages/DETECTIVES-SEEK-MAN-WHO-SHOT-JUVENILE.aspx

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Detective Derek Diaz at the BSO, Criminal Investigations Division at 954-321-4356. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or online at browardcrimestoppers.org.

Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Violent Crimes detectives are releasing images of a male subject and vehicle involved in a shooting that occurred in Pompano Beach recently.

On March 13  at approximately 9:19 p.m., a BSO deputy patrolling the community heard gunfire and immediately responded toward the directions of the gunfire. Upon deputies’ arrival to the area, they located a juvenile male with multiple gunshot wounds at the 700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Pompano Beach. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue transported the juvenile male to a nearby hospital where he is stabilized and listed in critical condition.

An unknown person depicted on the photograph, driving a newer model blue VW Tiguan, shot the 17 year old male multiple times. BSO detectives are asking for any assistance in locating the suspect.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact Detective Derek Diaz at the BSO, Criminal Investigations Division at 954-321-4356. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or online at browardcrimestoppers.org.

Community Foundation of Broward has named four new members to its Board of Directors.  The new Board members were officially welcomed at a recent meeting of the full Board of Directors.

Newly-elected members of the Community Foundation Board of Directors are Marcell D. Haywood, Susanne Cornfeld Hurowitz, David W. Horvitz and Dara Levan.

• Marcell D. Haywood is a Miami-based entrepreneur and business executive.  He is CEO of Thesis Holdings and founder and CEO of Encompass Onsite Solutions.
• Susanne Cornfeld Hurowitz is President of HB Capital Group, a privately-held real estate investment and management company headquartered in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.
• David W. Horvitz, of Hollywood, is Board Chariman and Chief Executive Officer of SouthOcean Capital Partners, with offices in Fort Lauderdale.
• Dara Levan is a communication specialist, writer and editor who publishes the weekly blog, Every Soul Has a Story.  She previously worked as a speech-language pathologist and has edited several published books.

Pictured: (L to R): Marcell D. Haywood, Susanne Cornfeld Hurowitz, Dara Levan, David W. Horvitz

The City of Deerfield Beach is closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and is taking steps to ensure the safety of residents, visitors and the business community. A State of Emergency has been declared by Federal, State and Local Governments. Business owners are encouraged to find official information on the COVID-19 outbreak at www.coronavirus.gov. The site contains information specifically for businesses and employers including how to keep your workplace clean. 

Because the virus is already causing business disruption, the United States Small Business Administration is providing Coronavirus Economic Injury Disaster loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to overcome the temporary loss of revenue. More information on this program can be found at www.SBA.gov/disaster.

The State of Florida is also providing disaster mitigation information for small businesses at www.FloridaDisaster.biz. This site contains a business survey that Governor Ron DeSantis has launched to collect information from businesses on how the virus spread is impacting them to serve as the basis for providing appropriate disaster response resources. 

As new information becomes available to assist small businesses, the City will issue subsequent updates via press release. 

For additional information, contact Kris Mory, Director of Economic Development at 954-480-4317 or kmory@deerfield-beach.org. 

At a news conference in Tallahassee this afternoon (March 14), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that health officials now report 24 cases of COVID-19 in Broward County. The majority of cases are linked to international travel, but not all of the cases are Broward County residents. Three of the cases are unlinked, which the Governor said may indicate that COVID-19 in Broward is now experiencing a “community spread.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), community spread means transmission of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. Unlinked cases may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected; Florida Department of Health investigations are continuing.

While the risk for COVID-19 across our nation is still believed to be low, federal, state and local emergency management activities are focused on prevention and containment, and Broward County is part of the nationwide coordinated response. The key to containment is appropriate preventive actions including “social distancing” which calls for 3-6 feet of personal space where possible, and avoidance of crowds.

Late Friday, Broward County canceled all sporting events at County parks, including the last two weekends of the Renaissance Festival, and all public programs and activities at County libraries. However, Parks and Libraries currently remain open for resident use at their discretion. The County has stepped up sanitizing procedures at all of its government facilities. For the latest on Broward County cancellations, visit Broward.org/CoronaVirus.

Voting in the March 17 Presidential Preference Primary, and early voting which is scheduled to be open through Sunday, March 15 at several library locations, will continue as planned. Broward County has worked with the Supervisor of Elections Office to ensure that polling locations are properly sanitized in advance of Election Day, and during Election Day until the polls close. There are some changes to polling locations, primarily to assist with voting by elderly residents. Visit BrowardSOE.org for the latest location information.

The Board of County Commissioners reminds all residents and visitors to follow these guidelines for personal protection:

• Wash your hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds, using antibacterial soap and water. Use hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water is not available.
• DON’T TOUCH your face or directly touch public surfaces such as handrails, elevator buttons, restroom faucets, gasoline pumps, etc.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle (i.e. eat properly, hydrate and get plenty of rest).
• If you are sick, stay home. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, dry cough, difficulty breathing and/or severe illness), call the Florida Department of Health at 954-412-7300 BEFORE visiting your health care provider, and follow their instructions.
• Be cognizant of the fact that COVID-19 is highly transmissible and seniors are among the most vulnerable. Take steps to help protect the elderly from the spread.

While many residents are reporting limited supplies of certain products at grocery stores, state officials said that it is still important for residents to be properly supplied and that there are no supply chain issues in the state. Check back after resupplies to complete your shopping.

The Governor also announced several initiatives to ease the need for public interaction at this time, such as temporary relaxation of driver’s license renewal requirements.

The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has moved to a Level 1 activation. Broward County remains under a local State of Emergency and the Broward EOC is at a Level 2 activation.

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.

On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, Broward County declared a local State of Emergency due to the regional spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and several confirmed cases in Broward County. Today, Friday, March 13, 2020, the Mayor of the City of Deerfield Beach has declared a local State of Emergency. The purpose of this State of Emergency is to provide for the necessary preparations and response to COVID-19. The City of Deerfield Beach is in regular communication with state and local health officials on mitigation strategies to slow the transmission of the disease. The best way the City and its residents can prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to take precautionary measures and adhere to the CDC’s guidelines.

Who is at Risk?
The CDC reports that older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease are at the greatest risk. If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious existing health problem, it is especially important to take actions that could reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease.

What is the City of Deerfield Beach Doing?
Deerfield Beach administration and staff have taken precautionary measures to help protect its employees, residents, and visitors who rely on local government for essential services. These precautions include:
• Providing additional free-standing sanitizer dispensers and signage at all City facilities.
• Increased sanitation of all frequently touched surfaces at all City facilities (Door handles, phones, restroom fixtures, water fountains, computer keyboards, etc).
• Restrooms at all City facilities and recreational areas are undergoing daily specialized deep disinfection.

Effective immediately, all City events, programs, recreational activities, classes, and athletic events taking place at City facilities are canceled until April 13. Those with paid facility reservations can be fully refunded. Those with existing outdoor facility rentals, such as pavilions, may keep their rental for small gatherings less than 50 participants. Current paid outdoor rentals may also be canceled and fully refunded. No new rentals of any City facilities are being taken at this time. For any questions or concerns about facility rentals, please call the Parks Department at 954-480-4483. Someone will be available to take your call Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM. If the line is busy, please leave a message, and someone will call you back. The City apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause and is taking these measures in the interest of public safety and based on the recommendations of federal and state health officials.

At this time, the City is planning to hold its scheduled regular City Commission Meeting on March 17, 2020. Note that the agenda has been substantially modified. Several items have been removed. The revised City Commission agenda can be found at http://www.deerfield-beach.com/1554/Meetings-Agendas

Afterschool Camp and Spring Break Camp have not yet been canceled. The City will follow the lead of the School Board of Broward County (SBBC) regarding the cancelation of these activities. If and when schools close, the City’s afterschool and spring break camps will be suspended or canceled.

What should Residents and Visitors be doing?

• Take everyday preventive actions to stay healthy per CDC recommendations.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds, and other social distancing measures.
• Stay informed. CDC’s COVID-19 Situation Summary is updated regularly as information becomes available.
• To reduce anxiety and fear rely on factual information from official sources.

For More Information and Resource Links Click Below:
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