Coronavirus positives in Bradenton and Hillsborough Counties (Miami, Tallahassee: law, legally)

[wondermint2]

Covid-19 continues to spiral out of control in Florida. The bad thing about today's record number of new cases in Florida - is that (according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune) over the past twenty four hours 20% of Florida Covid-19 tests were positive. That positivity number is alarmingly high.

I looked at the PDF file for today's numbers from Sarasota and Manatee Counties - and while their numbers are also high - at least the positvity rates for the day are not as bad as in other parts of Florida. For Sarasota County the test positive rate for the day was 7.5%. And for Manatee County the test positive rate for the day was 11.1%.

Another record: 5,508 new COVID-19 cases in Florida on Wednesday
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...a-on-wednesday

The Florida Department of Health announced 5,508 new cases of COVID-19 in the state on Wednesday, beating the previous record set on Saturday, June 20, by almost 1,500 cases. Florida now has 109,014 cases across the state. The number of reported deaths increased by 43 to 3,281since Tuesday.

Wednesday’s total marked the sixth time in the past seven days the state has reported more than 3,000 new cases.

Sarasota County’s numbers spiked by 60 cases — a new record for a single-day increase — to 1,091 cases. Manatee County also had a large increase of 119 cases since yesterday, for a total of 2,132.

20% of all tests reported in the past 24 hours have been positive, another new record for Florida.

[wondermint2]

NY, NJ and CT require travelers from states with high coronavirus rates to quarantine for two weeks
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/06/24/u...ion/index.html

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut issued a travel advisory Wednesday that requires people arriving from states with high coronavirus rates to quarantine for 14 days.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said the travel advisory applies to anyone coming from a state with a transmission rate above 10 per 100,000 people on a seven-day rolling average or 10 percent of the total population testing positive on a seven-day rolling average.

"We have to make sure the virus doesn't come in on a plane," Cuomo said.

As of Wednesday, the advisory applies to Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah and Texas. It begins tonight at midnight.

[wondermint2]

Just to report everything as best as I can from the available information - several other sources are saying the test-positive rate for the state of Florida is 15.91% (for today). This is still very high but lower than the 20% that the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mark...es/ar-BB15STQX
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wts...3-e30cdffd7bbb

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I'm thinking that this could be the reason for the discrepancy:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.mia...243757872.html

** Florida’s Department of Health publishes its COVID-19 data primarily in three different formats: a COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard, an online summary document and a “case line” data portal.

On Tuesday, the total number of cases and deaths in the state reported on the dashboard and the online summary document did not match, causing confusion among those who look at and report on the data.

The dashboard reported a total of 103,503 cases and 3,238 deaths. The online summary reported 103,506 total cases and 3,237 deaths.

Moscoso says the discrepancy was caused by the dashboard and summary using two different data sets. The dashboard used a “midnight to midnight” set of data while the summary document used a “7 a.m. to 7 a.m.” data set, he said.

“Going forward to provide greater clarity, only the midnight to midnight set of data will be used,” Moscoso said in an email. **

[wondermint2]

Manatee County Commission divided on mask orders
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...on-mask-orders

The commission adopted a statement Wednesday encouraging residents to wear masks, but calls for stricter action ultimately failed.

[wondermint2]

Sarasota County leaders will not pursue mask-wearing ordinance because of enforcement concerns

Sarasota mayor calls for emergency City Commission meeting on the topic
https://sarasotanewsleader.com/saras...ing-ordinance/

In an email sent shortly before 10 a.m. on June 23, Sarasota County Administrator told the county commissioners that staff recommended against an ordinance or executive order requiring the wearing of masks in an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

While county leaders have backed away from the idea of requiring the wearing of masks, leaders of the City of Sarasota are proceeding with the prospect of implementing a mask-wearing directive, as indicated by city emails, The Sarasota News Leader learned.

On the afternoon of June 22, Mayor Jen Ahearn-Koch wrote an email to Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown, City Manager Tom Barwin and City Attorney Robert Fournier, saying she would like to request an emergency City Commission meeting either this week — on June 25 — or on Monday, June 29 to discuss the issue.

Ahearn-Koch noted in her email that she envisioned an ordinance requiring masks for people in indoor spaces and those who are outdoors in situations “when physical distancing is not available.”

That special City Commission meeting has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 29, according to the City of Sarasota’s public meetings webpage. It will be conducted by virtual meeting technology.


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Sarasota giving away up to 50,000 masks
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...to-50000-masks

SARASOTA — Ahead of a discussion next week on whether to make them mandatory, the city of Sarasota will be giving away up to 50,000 protective face masks in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The “Mask Mobile,” a small electric city vehicle outfitted with a white surgical mask across the front grill, will scoot around town this week to promote mask usage in public.

There isn’t a set schedule or route for the vehicle. The effort is aimed at people who are already out in public without masks.

“We have already hosted giveaways and distributed 10,000 masks to the public and are firming up details for additional giveaways at City Hall next week,” said Jason Bartolone, a city spokesman.

[wondermint2]

Another good video from Dr. Gottlieb today. He's been very accurate in his predictions and I feel the term "expert" on the Covid-19 situation fits him well.

No quick fixes to stop coronavirus spikes in hot spots like Florida and Texas, Dr. Scott Gottlieb says
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnb...lieb-says.html

Any policy changes that hot spot states like Texas and Florida decide to implement now likely won't affect the spread of the coronavirus for weeks to come, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Thursday.

"I think it's going to be difficult now to get this under control," Gottlieb said on "Squawk Box." "Whatever these states do right now is really going to help them in about two weeks, maybe a little bit longer than that. Whatever policy decisions they made a week or two ago, that's what we're seeing flow through right now."

"They're not going to shut down their economies. It's very clear," Gottlieb said. "They're going to weather this, but they need to look at some selected shut downs of congregate settings like, perhaps, bars."

"If you don't want to shut down the economy, you've got to decide what you're for and if you're going to be against universal masking, and against testing, against tracing and you don't want to shut down the economy, you're just going to have to tolerate then a very large epidemic," Gottlieb said.

State efforts to now fight Covid-19 will take two weeks to slow spread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTWpoLMl488

[wondermint2]

I thought it was interesting that Dr. Gottlieb mentioned (in today's video) that overall the testing for Covid-19 is increasing across the country - however in Florida testing has declined 10% week over week for the past two weeks. I'm wondering if that's just due to some sort of anamoly - or if the decline is politically motivated. Because if it's politically motivated then IMO it wouldn't be a good sign for getting the virus under control in Florida.

[pockets89]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

I thought it was interesting that Dr. Gottlieb mentioned (in today's video) that overall the testing for Covid-19 is increasing across the country - however in Florida testing has declined 10% week over week for the past two weeks. I'm wondering if that's just due to some sort of anamoly - or if the decline is politically motivated. Because if it's politically motivated then IMO it wouldn't be a good sign for getting the virus under control in Florida.

Of course it is politically motivated. DeSantis is Trump's lapdog and Trump said at that Tulsa rally the less people you test the lower the numbers will be. DeSantis probably saw that and is applying that amazing strategy here in FL.


The results will be the number which is currently at 123k in Florida will probably dramatically under represent how bad it will get here and some idiots will still see wearing a mask as a political issue which is insane. Florida has become a ****show and tens of thousands will die because they refuse to wear a mask. Sad.

[Variable]

Record breaking new daily Covid cases in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Daily positive cases are 10 times higher than 30 days ago.


https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...rida-on-friday

Sarasota County’s numbers rose by 106 cases to 1,245 cases, easily eclipsing the previous record of 60 new cases set on Wednesday.

Manatee County reported 166 new cases, for a total of 2,368, beating its previous record of 137 new cases set on June 20.

In Sarasota County, 193 people, or 16 percent, have been hospitalized. In Manatee County 254, 11 percent of all cases, have been hospitalized

[wondermint2]

Dr. Gottlieb called it!

Florida bans drinking at bars again as COVID-19 cases spike
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...19-cases-spike

Florida is banning drinking at bars again as the state experiences a big surge in coronavirus cases.

Halsey Beshears, the secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, made the announcement about bars on Twitter Friday.

“Effective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is suspending on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide,” Beshears tweeted.

Florida’s bars were shutdown for two months to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed them to reopen in early June, but since then Florida has experienced a big wave of new coronavirus cases.

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Closing bars to everything but to-go orders is the most significant example of easing back on reopening, but it is not the only one.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital announced Thursday that it will ban visitors again starting today at 6 p.m..

Sarasota Memorial was treating 36 COVID-19 patients on Thursday, more than triple the number of patients hospitalized with the disease at the beginning of the month.

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Bradenton bar owners say they were blind-sided by order to close again due to COVID-19
https://www.bradenton.com/news/coron...243819027.html

“We have all of our employees back at work, the PPP money is gone. Now we are in deep, deep trouble,” said Joe Harris, owner with his father, Sid Harris, of Papa Joe’s Sports Bar at 1242 Whitfield Ave.

As news spread that bars were closing, about 10 other bar owners called Harris to see what their next course of action might be. Harris was a leader in the Bradenton bar community, spearheading a petition drive and organizing a protest seeking to persuade the state to reopen bars back in May.

“We have been practicing social distancing and have had hand sanitizer on the bar. If restaurants with full bars are allowed to stay open, that is not fair,” Harris said.