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As the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic grips the globe, it can be difficult to find reliably factual information about what's going on here in Florida.
This blog is a resource to address that crucial need. 10News reporters and producers will use it to share the latest headlines, while actively focusing on facts not fear.
Key Facts
- St. Pete Pride is being postponed until the fall
- 26,660 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Florida. 789 people have died.
- Jobless Floridians plan to protest the 'broken process' of the state's current unemployment benefits system at 2:00 p.m. Monday. at the capitol in Tallahassee.
- Shake Shack is giving the government back its $10 million small-business loan.
- Some Florida beaches may be opening back up, but health experts say you shouldn't plan your beach trip just yet.
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5:45 p.m. (April 20)
Beginning Wednesday, Hillsborough County is making changes to the way students will receive their week’s worth of Grab-and-Go meals.
Parents should be prepared with specific student information in order to receive the meals.
If your child is in the school district, you will be asked to provide your child’s name and student ID number to staff on site. This is the same number as your child's lunch number. You can also find your child’s student ID number on Edsby.
If your child is under school age, or is in another school system, you must provide each child’s name and date of birth in order to receive food.
This process may mean wait times to receive Grab-and-Go meals could be a little longer. You can help speed up the process by writing your student's information on a piece of paper with large print— and holding it up to the window.
5:30 p.m. (April 20)
St. Pete Pride is being postponed until Fall 2020, as a result of the social distancing precautions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers are working with the city to secure new dates for the event.
"We recognize how meaningful our PRIDE celebration is to the LGBTQ community in Tampa Bay. Although we may not be able to physically gather as we normally would this June, our postponement will in no way diminish what it means to be PROUD in St Pete and Tampa Bay! We will still find ways to raise our flags of all colors, celebrate the beauty and vibrancy of our community, and spotlight the issues our movement still faces," St Pete Pride Board President Chrys Bundy wrote in a statement.
4:30 p.m. (April 20)
Sarasota Memorial Hospital is reporting its latest COVID-19-related numbers:
- SMH has tested more than 1,220 people, with 1,095 negative results and 108 positive results. Additional results are pending.
- 35 patients who tested positive are hospitalized.
- 16 patients who tested positive have died.
- 74 people who tested positive have been discharged from the hospital or ER with follow-up monitoring by the Florida Department of Health.
- 19 SMH employees have tested positive.
11:00 a.m. (April 20)
346 more people have tested positive since Florida's Sunday evening report. That brings the total number of cases in the state to 26,660.
Another 15 people lost their lives to COVID-19.
789 people have died from the virus in Florida since the pandemic began.
7:30 a.m. (April 20)
Beaches in Jacksonville partially reopened over the weekend, while beaches in Pinellas County remained closed.
Florida is still under a 'Safer at Home' order until the end of April, and doctors say you should continue to follow the CDC's social distancing guidelines.
"It's extremely important we don't spread this infection to each other. If we do, this will get worse and continue to spread. Numbers will get worse. If we socially distance and stop the spread, we get through this much quicker," Dr. Nishant Anand said. He's the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at BayCare.
5:00 a.m. (April 20)
The burger chain Shake Shack says it has obtained new funding and will return a small-business loan it got to help weather the coronavirus crisis.
Shake Shack has laid off or furloughed hundreds of its employees and needed the assistance, its CEO Randy Garutti and its founder Danny Meyer said Monday in a statement.
The company was able to get extra funding late last week through an “equity transaction” and decided to “immediately return" the $10 million paycheck protection loan it obtained through the CARES Act.
10:46 p.m. (April 19)
Jobless Floridians are angry after turning to the state’s unemployment benefits system -- only to find a broken process.
Weeks of frustration have inspired some to create the Tallahassee Stand for Your Unemployment Benefits rally that will take place at 2 p.m. Monday at the state capitol in Tallahassee.
People are asked to respect social distancing and stand at least 6-feet apart should they show up.
8:03 p.m. (April 19)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday will hold an organizational and informational meeting regarding the reopening of the state's economy, according to a news release.
It is scheduled for 2 p.m.
5:30 p.m. (April 19)
The Florida Department of Health reports 774 people have died from COVID-19 coronavirus; it is an increase of 10 deaths since the morning update.
There are 318 more positive cases of coronavirus the agency is tracking, bringing the total to 26,314.
4:22 p.m. (April 19)
Two of the five residents evacuated from Freedom Square Rehabilitation on Saturday who were tested for COVID-19 coronavirus received a negative result.
Three of them tested positive and already were reported as such, the facility said Sunday.
Staff began removing people from the Freedom Square of Seminole facility on Friday after three people died from coronavirus. Several people were transported to area hospitals earlier in the week when they became symptomatic or tested positive for the virus.
