Critical Times

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RACIAL DATA TRACKER

The COVID Racial Data Tracker is a collaboration between the COVID Tracking Project and the Antiracist Research & Policy Center. Together, we're gathering the most complete race and ethnicity data on COVID-19 in the United States.

The governor said Florida would reopen in three phases in-line with the guidelines released by the White House under President Trump’s reopening America plan. Read the Governor’s Executive Order here. 

Here’s what changes and doesn’t change for Florida on May 4:

• Schools continue distance learning
• Visits to senior living facilities are prohibited
• Elective surgeries can resume
• Sports arenas and movie theaters will remain closed
• Restaurants may offer outdoor seating with six feet of space between tables and indoor seating at 25% capacity
• Retail stores can operate at 25% of indoor capacity
• No changes for bars, gyms and personal services such as hair dressers and barbers
• Vulnerable individuals should avoid close contact with people outside the home

Phase one maintains current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including vulnerable individuals continuing social distancing while in public, avoiding groups of 10 or more and using face masks in public when you can’t maintain six feet away from others.

The governor said when phase two and phase three begin will depend on how well the first stage goes. During his presentation, DeSantis did not address when Floridians could expect to see theme parks or major attractions reopen or speak to Florida’s troubled unemployment system. The governor took a few questions from reporters before leaving the room.

• It has been recommended that local authorities strongly consider canceling mass gatherings and follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.
• Please practice social distancing. Learn more here. This article also includes guidance for parents, too.
• And a reminder that Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has put into place a county-wide curfew from 11:00pm-5:00am everyday, starting on March 20th.
• CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Read more from the CDC here.

***Please click here for Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) new COVID-19 Case Dashboard***

The New York Times Coronavirus page

Sign up for a free daily coronavirus briefing from the New York Times here.

NPR's COVID-19 coverage

Avi Schiffmann's website tracking coronavirus has become one of the most vital resources for people seeking accurate and updated numbers on the pandemic. He's a 17-year-old high school junior from Mercer Island outside Seattle, who started the site in late December, when coronavirus had not yet been detected outside of China. Now the site has been visited by tens of millions, from every country on Earth. It tracks deaths, numbers of cases locally and globally, and provides an interactive map, information on the disease, and a Twitter feed. The resource updates every minute or so, and pulls information from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and elsewhere.

A Sarasota-specific call center for questions and concerns about COVID-19 is now available through the Department of Health in Sarasota County

941-861-2873. Subject matter experts are available Monday – Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.