TreasureCoast Covid-19 Update 5/15/2020
City of Fort Pierce
May 14, 2020, 5:45 PM
Website: https://www.cityoffortpierce.com/856/COVID-19-Information
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ftpierce
TESTING
The City of Fort Pierce, in partnership with Dynix Diagnostix, the Department of Health St. Lucie, Indian River State College and Allegany Franciscan Ministries offered free COVID-19 testing this week at Ilous Ellis Park. Due to such strong participation throughout the week, only pre-scheduled appointments for antibody testing will be conducted tomorrow. No additional swab tests are available.
CITY COMMISSION MEETING
The City Commission will hold its regularly scheduled meeting Monday, May 18 at 6:30 PM. The public may attend the meeting in person or submit comments in writing, including your name and address, to: cityclerk@cityoffortpierce.com no later than noon on Monday. All meetings are broadcast live on TV Channel 27 and streamed online at:www.cityoffortpierce.com. Public hearings are currently not taking place.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
City of Fort Pierce Board and Committee meetings may resume as necessary. All meetings will take place in the Commission Chambers for proper social distancing and video conferencing capabilities. For a list of Board and Committee meetings, visit: https://www.cityoffortpierce.com/223/Agendas-Minutes
GRANTS
COVID-19 Household and Business grant applications are being reviewed as quickly as possible. Representatives from the Grants Administration Division are currently following up with applicants to ensure all required documentation is provided and applications are complete. Applicants will be contacted via email with their next steps.
CITY FACILITY PUBLIC ACCESS
The City of Fort Pierce is developing a phased reopening plan of city facilities over the next 2 months.
- City Hall – Closed to the public with appointment only access for Building Department.
- Sunrise Theatre – Closed to the public.
- Police Department Main Station and Substation – Closed to the public.
- City Marina – Open to the public and practicing social distancing.
- Indian Hills Golf Course – Open to the public and practicing social distancing.
- Beaches – Open.
- Parks – Open, including South Causeway and Jaycee Park.
- Boat Ramps – Open.
HELPFUL CONTACTS
St. Lucie County Public Information:
772-460-HELP (4357)
Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Call Center:
866-779-6121
Email: covid-19@flhealth.gov
St. Lucie Public Schools
772-462-3800
211 Community Helpline
211 is a community helpline and crisis hotline that provides suicide prevention, crisis intervention, information, assessment, and referral to community services for people of all ages.
State of Florida Emergency Coordinating Officers
https://www.floridadisaster.org/state-eoc/eco/
Florida Community Health Centers / Fort Pierce
Drive-Thru Testing
772-461-1402
Cleveland Clinic Martin Health
Tent Testing
772-419-3360
COMMUNICATIONS
Citizens may subscribe to receive email and text messaged updates through the “COVID-19 Information” alert center on the city’s website. Visit https://www.cityoffortpierce.com/856/COVID-19-Information for updated information and community resources regarding COVID-19.
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There are now more than 43-thousand coronavirus cases in Florida and the death toll is up to 18-hundred-75 after another 48 deaths were reported yesterday.
TreasureCoast Covid-19 Update 5/15/2020
TreasureCoast Covid-19 Update 5/15/2020
Saying downward trends continue in the 64 counties that began Phase I of reopening on May 4th, Governor Ron DeSantis is ready to loosen the reigns a little more.
That will include information about reopening gyms. DeSantis says he’ll make the announcement today in Jacksonville…. with the new rules going into effect on Monday.
https://www.facebook.com/GovRonDeSantis/videos/239526690673386/
Also on Monday, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties will enter Phase I. That will include reopening restaurants, salons and some non-essential businesses with restrictions.
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Personal injury lawyers are fighting attempts to shield nursing homes from coronavirus lawsuits.
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A reprieve for unemployed Floridians–the suspension of Florida evictions and foreclosures is being extended.
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The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning late Thursday over the accuracy of the highly-touted Abbott instant coronavirus test. Specifically, the FDA said that the test has caused some false negative results.
The Abbott ID NOW coronavirus test has gained popularity after being frequently touted at White House coronavirus task force news briefings. The test gives patients and doctors a result within 15 minutes. But the FDA is concerned that those results are not accurate.
Most other coronavirus tests take two or three days to return a result.
The FDA said it is drafting a letter alongside Abbott to send to patients to notify them of the possibility of an incorrect result.
The FDA added that no test is 100% correct, as performance characteristics, specimen handling, or user error could cause incorrect results.
The Abbott test will still be available as the FDA and the company work on identifying what is causing the false results.
“We are still evaluating the information about inaccurate results and are in direct communications with Abbott about this important issue. We will continue to study the data available and are working with the company to create additional mechanisms for studying the test. This test can still be used and can correctly identify many positive cases in minutes. Negative results may need to be confirmed with a high-sensitivity authorized molecular test,” said Tim Stenzel, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
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CVS Health said on Thursday it is on track to have 1,000 COVID-19 by the end of the month.
CVS said it is opening 50 locations this week to bring up the total number of testing sites to 100. Nine-hundred additional testing sites will open through the rest of May.
The pharmacy chain’s goal is to have 1.5 million tests available per month, but that is subject to the availability of testing supplies.
The tests will be administered in store parking lots, and not inside stores. Those in need of testing can begin registering for a test on CVS.com on Friday. The tests take three days to process, according to CVS.
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Tesla founder and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has had a very public squabble with county officials in California over the reopening of his car factory.
On Monday, Musk announced he would restart production at his Tesla plant against Alameda County, California, rules. The plant was closed because it was deemed a non-essential business due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Saturday, Musk said in a tweet he would move Tesla’s headquarters to Texas or Nevada immediately. Now, the city of Port St. Lucie wants to help end the dispute, inviting Musk to relocate his business to the Treasure Coast. In a formal letter tweeted by the city on Thursday, Mayor Gregory Oravec said Port St. Lucie would be a great location for Tesla due to its close proximity to Musk’s SpaceX launch center.
The letter goes on to say Port St. Lucie is an attractive option because of the city’s manufacturing space and Florida’s generous tax structure.
“I think you will find us eager to cut red tape and willing to foster true collaboration in good times and in bad,” Oravec says in the letter.
The mayor urges Musk to call him and hopes he will have “an opportunity to make our pitch.”
No word yet if Musk has seen the letter or if the global tech leader is considering the Sunshine State as a possible location for future business endeavors.
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Publix is adjusting back to normal hours and suspending reserved shopping times, the company announced on Thursday.
According to a press release, stores will be open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. beginning Saturday, May 16. Publix pharmacies are also returning to their regular operating hours. The chain previously rolled out special shopping hours for seniors, vulnerable guests and first responders because of the pandemic.
What we want to know is when will there be toilet paper?
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