Florida ranks top 5 for most dangerous places to online date; FGCU students reactCape Coral commissioners set to discuss possibility of pay raises
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, there have been 7,773 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Florida. The case count includes 7,495 Florida residents and 278 non-Florida residents. There are currently 102 deaths reported, according to the Florida Department of Health. Two new deaths were reported in Lee County on Wednesday: a 67-year-old man who hadn’t traveled and had no contact with a known positive case, and a 78-year-old man who hadn’t traveled but had contact with a positive case. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of cases: 7,773 (up from 6,995) Deaths: 102 (up from 87) SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total in SWFL: 433 (up from 400) Deaths: 14 Lee County: 235 (up from 212) Collier County: 158 (up from 150) Charlotte County: 26 (up from 24) DeSoto County: 7 (no change) Glades County: 3 (no change) Hendry County: 4 (no change) Click HERE for a SWFL case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. There have been 69,265 total tests administered in the state of Florida, with 7,773 positive tests. 60,356 tests have come back negative, and the remainder is pending, according to the FDOH website. NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs as business picks up amid coronavirus crisis LATEST CLOSURES: Southwest Florida business updates and store closings WEDNESDAY COVID-19 HEADLINES Attorney General’s Office is taking action to address allegations of price gouging Grocery stores adding more precautions to keep shoppers safe State working to improve response for those applying for unemployment ‘Safer at Home:’ Gov. DeSantis asks Floridians to limit movements to only essential activities Wimbledon canceled for first time since World War II Small businesses in downtown Fort Myers weighing options amid coronavirus-stunted economy Fort Myers City Councilman Kevin Anderson recovering from COVID-19 Audit reveals Department of Economic Opportunity knew about unemployment website flaws Some struggling to pay rent following unemployment due to coronavirus precautions Nurse at Naples clinic personally asks governor for help, more tests for first responders What’s being done to respond to your unemployment applications WATCH WEDNESDAY’S NEWS CONFERENCES: 1 p.m. Gov. DeSantis gives a daily briefing, announces executive order. WATCH HERE 4 p.m. Lee County commissioners hold an emergency meeting. WATCH HERE 5 p.m. White House Coronavirus Task Force daily briefing. WATCH HERE Governor issues order to stay home, limit travel to essential services Gov. Ron DeSantis is issuing an executive order that will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, April 3, asking all Floridians to “limit movement to only essential services and activities,” and stay at home. He said, “it is an order to individuals to stay close to home.” It does not force non-essential businesses to close, but the public is advised to stay home as much as possible. The governor says non-essential businesses may be able to do something else such as deliveries. Your movements should be limited to essential things like work, grocery shopping, getting prescriptions, and such. You can see a full list of what Homeland Security considers essential services here. READ MORE DOCUMENT: Click here to read Executive Order 20-91 in its entirety. Fort Myers City Councilman Kevin Anderson recovering from COVID-19 A Fort Myers City Council member has COVID-19. Kevin Anderson tested positive about a week after returning from a cruise that left New Orleans on March 6 and ended in California on March 20. His travel home from San Diego took him through Chicago before he landed at Southwest Florida International Airport late on the 20th. READ MORE What’s being done to respond to your unemployment applications What started as frustration is now anger. Thousands of people in Southwest Florida who’ve lost their job can’t go to the Fort Myers unemployment career center because it’s closed. And no one can get through on the phone because the lines are jammed. And electronic filing can’t be completed because the website keeps crashing. So what can you do? We asked the people in charge of state unemployment benefits that very question. READ MORE IF YOU FEEL SICK: The Florida Department of Health has opened a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours. LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates <span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span> *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.