Coronavirus in Jacksonville: Live updates for Tuesday, May 19
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6:40 p.m. | DeSantis calls data manipulation charge a “non-issue”
Facing an explosive charge that his administration is manipulating coronavirus data to help make the case for reopening Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis played down the controversy Tuesday as a “nonissue.”
Florida’s COVID-19 death toll topped 2,000 Tuesday, underscoring the serious threat posed by the coronavirus and the potential consequences of not giving people accurate information on the risks involved. | Read more
6:20 p.m. | Pier 1 to go out of business and close all 540 stores
Pier 1, the seller of wicker chairs and scented candles, said it will go out of business and permanently close all 540 of its stores.
The Fort Worth, Texas- based company said Tuesday that it was unable to find a buyer for its business after filing for bankruptcy protection earlier this year. | Read more
5:55 p.m. | After more than seven weeks of care, retired Navy pilot can go home
Retired Navy pilot Ricardo Vizcarrondo was groggy when he came out of a three-week medically induced coma. And when a nurse turned on the TV in his room, he became even more puzzled.
Why are those people each in their own little squares on the screen? Why are the TV news people in regular clothes, and why are they broadcasting from their homes? | Read more
5:30 p.m. | National high school federation envisions many steps in road back for sports
High school games in front of empty seats. Temperature scans before practice. Football workouts that might remain on hold until a third phase of recovery.
All of them could be in the near future for high school sports, at least based on a new national document laying out a road map to reopening. | Read more
5:20 p.m. | Wedding industry takes a hit from COVID-19
Sarah Bloom and her now-husband, Jason, had planned a wedding with 100-plus guests at the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine to take place in April. But with less than a month until the big day, their plans unraveled entirely.
Cancellations were coming left and right from out-of-town guests and friends who were in self-quarantine because of possible COVID-19 exposure. | Read more
5:10 p.m. | Coronavirus lockdowns have caused a whopping 17% drop in global carbon emissions
The coronavirus lockdowns have had an “extreme” effect on daily carbon emissions, causing a whopping 17% drop globally during peak confinement measures by early April – levels last seen in 2006. | Read more
4:55 p.m. | Duval Schools sends updates, survey about reopening, teachers remain skeptical
Face shields, physical barriers and staggered school days could be the landscape of the 2020-2021 school year for Duval Schools.
Starting Monday evening, the school district began distributing surveys to teachers and families with questions about what people want to see next school year. | Read more
2 p.m. | Florida grad with terminal illness surprised with parade
Graduation is a big deal for DeLand High School senior Sarena Champagne.
The 21-year-old with a terminal illness endured a slew of medical problems and overcame trauma that might stop someone else in their tracks. Even the coronavirus pandemic, which deprived her of a chance to walk across the stage in a traditional ceremony, wasn’t able to prevent a celebration. | Read more
12:25 p.m. | Florida surpasses 2,000 total COVID-19 deaths
Florida surpassed 2,000 total deaths from COVID-19 Tuesday in the updated online data from the Florida Department of Health.
The state recorded 55 new deaths to raise the cumulative toll to 2,052. The 55 additional deaths in the online dashboard compared to Monday’s report is the most since Florida added 69 deaths in the report of May 8. | Read more
Statewide
Hospitalizations: 8,494
Deaths: 2,052
Cases in Northeast Florida
Duval: 1,318
Clay: 321
St. Johns: 233
Nassau: 66
Baker: 26
Putnam: 134 | Read more
12:25 p.m. | Belmont Stakes to move to June 20, without fans
The Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 without fans and serve as the opening leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown for the first time in the sport’s history.
The New York Racing Association on Tuesday unveiled the rescheduled date for the Belmont, which will also be contested at a shorter distance than usual. | Read more
12:20 p.m. | Message to Class of 2020: Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi
Jacksonville natives Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi want the class of 2020 to know that they believe in them.
“The whole world is with you,” Tedeschi, who along with Trucks leads the highly regarded Tedeschi Trucks Band, said. | Read more
12:05 p.m. | Nancy Pelosi says Trump is ‘morbidly obese’ and should not take hydroxychloroquine
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was “not a good idea” for President Donald Trump to be taking a drug that has not been proven to work against the coronavirus because it can pose a risk for people with heart conditions and he is “morbidly obese.”
Trump told reporters Monday that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine for about a week and a half to stave off infection from the coronavirus. | Read more
11:55 a.m. | Florida college tries disinfectant fog for coronavirus
A team with the Florida State Firefighters Association demonstrated a new technology in the fight against COVID-19 and other diseases by disinfecting the administrative building and dormitories at the Florida State Fire College on Monday. | Read more
11:10 a.m. | ‘Ink Master’ artists criticize Florida tattoo studio shutdown
“Ink Master” contestant and Cocoa Beach tattoo artist Mark Longenecker has a message for Gov. Ron DeSantis: Come see how clean and sterile my shuttered shop is — and I’ll offer you a free tattoo. | Read more
9:45 a.m. | Florida scientist was fired for refusing to ‘manipulate’ COVID-19 data
The scientist who created Florida’s COVID-19 data portal wasn’t just removed from her position on May 5, she was fired on Monday by the Department of Health, she said, for refusing to manipulate data.
In an email last Friday to researchers and other data users, Rebekah Jones warned that with her removal changes were likely coming to the accessibility and transparency of the dashboard data. | Read more
9:40 a.m. | Jaguars to delay plans for reopening TIAA Bank Field
Under NFL guidelines, the Jaguars could have reopened their facility at TIAA Bank Field on Tuesday for the first time since it was closed mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the franchise issued a statement Tuesday morning that they are going to wait until May 26 to begin phase 1 reopening of their offices. | Read more
9:25 a.m. | Disney Springs return comes with a warning about risk
As Walt Disney World prepares to allow some third-party shops and restaurants to open at its entertainment complex later this week, it’s posting a warning.
While enhanced safety measures are being taken at Disney Springs, “an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,” the company said Monday on a website for the entertainment complex. | Read more
9 a.m. | JCPenney plans to close more than 240 stores
J.C. Penney, among several retailers suffering financially during the coronavirus pandemic, will permanently close nearly 30% of its 846 stores as part of a restructuring under bankruptcy protection.
The Plano, Texas, retailer said Monday that it plans to close about 192 stores by February 2021, and then 50 additional stores in the year after that. | Read more
7:40 a.m. | Florida man was coronavirus skeptic until it infected him
Brian Lee Hitchens was a coronavirus skeptic until the illness led him to be hospitalized at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.
Now the Jupiter Farms resident wants people to know the virus is dangerous and real. | Read more
EARLIER
Duval County recorded its 1,300th positive test during the coronavirus pandemic in Monday’s updated numbers from the Florida Department of Health.
Northeast Florida counties reported no additional deaths from COVID-19. | Read more
Statewide
Hospitalizations: 8,304
Deaths: 1,997
Cases in Northeast Florida
Duval: 1,300
Clay: 320
St. Johns: 232
Nassau: 66
Baker: 26
Putnam: 134 | Read more
Jacksonville gyms reopen, a little bit at a time
Gyms in Florida were allowed to open Monday, but most remained closed as they prepared for a new way of doing business during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that gyms and fitness centers could reopen as long as certain social-distancing and sanitizing procedures were followed. That was good news for Bill Haft, a regular at the Baileys Gym in Jacksonville Beach. | Read more
Mayor highlights reopening plan for restaurants, public buildings
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry discussed the start of phase one in Florida’s reopening plan during a press conference outside Toscana Little Italy in San Marco, highlighting restaurants and public buildings. | Read more
Gate firms cut 878 First Coast jobs; many now returning
Multiple arms of Jacksonville-based Gate Petroleum Co. furloughed or laid off 878 employees since last month to adjust to the loss of business from the coronavirus pandemic, notices to state officials show.
Some of those employees have already returned to work, but the roll of local workers affected at one private business underscores the reach of the slowdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. | Read more
DeSantis touts reopening push, defends unemployment system
Gov. Ron DeSantis offered a forceful defense Monday of the state’s efforts to improve the unemployment compensation system for those who remain sidelined by coronavirus-induced layoffs.
At a press conference in Orlando, he also pointed to the state’s progress in reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic. | Read more
Moderna reports early vaccine results are encouraging
An experimental vaccine against the coronavirus showed encouraging results in very early testing, triggering hoped-for immune responses in eight healthy, middle-aged volunteers, its maker announced Monday.
Study volunteers given either a low or medium dose of the vaccine by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc. had antibodies similar to those seen in people who have recovered from COVID-19. | Read more
Riverside Arts Market to reopen Saturday on limited basis
The Riverside Arts Market is getting set to return to Jacksonville’s weekend scene.
The market is scheduled to reopen Saturday on a limited basis, termed the “Riverside Essentials Market.” | Read more
Map of coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S.
Jaguars can open facility at TIAA Bank Field Tuesday with limited staff
The Jaguars can reopen their facility at TIAA Bank on Tuesday for the first time since it was closed mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It won’t be business as usual, though. | Read more
OneBlood running antibody tests as part of donating
Regional blood bank OneBlood has begun telling donors whether their blood carries antibodies for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Donors will be able to see their results about 48 hours after they give blood by logging into an online donor portal at www.oneblood.org. | Read more
After 8 weeks, Ormond Beach survivor returns home with “second chance” at life
Wayne Walker woke up with a fever on March 11.
Two months later, the Ormond Beach resident finally returned home after the fight of his life. | Read more
Florida eyes plans to reopen university campuses
State university system Chancellor Marshall Criser next week will present guidelines for reopening university campuses in the fall, after students were sent home in March to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Based on the guidelines, universities will present individual plans for the fall semester during a June 23 meeting. | Read more
How the youngest 25 in Florida died of COVID-19
How are Florida's youngest COVID-19 victims dying from the disease?
Previously blocked documents indicate key medical details on the 25 youngest people to die from the virus in Florida, pointing to a range of risk factors. | Read more
Trump says he’s taking malaria drug to protect against coronavirus
President Donald Trump told reporters he has been taking the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which he has suggested repeatedly as a potential treatment for COVID-19, and a zinc supplement daily “for about a week and a half now.” | Read more
‘Something we’ve never seen before’: Scientists still trying to understand baffling, unpredictable coronavirus
The new coronavirus has spread like wildfire, killed — and spared — people of all ages and all health conditions, baffled doctors, defied guidance and conventional wisdom, and produced an unprecedented array of symptoms.
Scientists studying it say there’s never been a virus like it. | Read more
When a coronavirus vaccine is developed, who will be first in line to get it? A CDC panel usually decides
No matter how well-prepared we are, there won’t immediately be enough coronavirus vaccine to immunize all Americans.
Choices will have to be made about who goes to the front of the line. | Read more
Tracking the spread of coronavirus cases in the US and worldwide
Coronavirus in Jacksonville: Answers to your questions
Readers across the First Coast have questions about the COVID-19 outbreak. Now, the Times-Union has some answers. | Read more
Many restaurants remain open for take-out, delivery
Looking to support local businesses staying open during the coronavirus pandemic? Want a meal or a drink to take home?
Many restaurants in the Jacksonville area area offering takeout, curbside or drive-thru options to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. | Read more
Acts of kindness, good deeds, how area residents are helping others
When times are tough, Jacksonville’s people come through for each other.
While it’s important to read the latest news about coronavirus, it’s also good for us to read about the good deeds, the random acts of kindness and the stories about people helping those around them. These stories are sure to make you smile or inspire you on ways you give back to your community. | Read more
Testing site locations in Duval and Northeast Florida
More COVID-19 testing sites have recently opened - and more will soon open.
We’ll keep a list here of all testing sites for Jacksonville, Nassau, Clay, St. Johns, Baker and Putnam counties. | Read more
Laid off? 7 steps to take, and phone calls to make, now
The laid-off line cook was confused and tearful as she pondered the sudden loss of her $400-a-week job at a Lake Worth Beach restaurant.
Economists expect the crippling shutdown to put hundreds of thousands of Floridians — and millions of Americans — out of work. Mortgage lenders and others are stepping in to offer assistance. | Read more
Stimulus check: Calculate how much money you could get
The U.S. Senate approved a sweeping $2 trillion stimulus package that aims to help people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
People who are still working, those who are unemployed, those who are self-employed and contractors would all benefit. Businesses also stand to get financial assistance to avoid closing down or laying off employees because of the economic effect of the pandemic. | Read more
Ticket Tracker: What’s canceled, postponed, rescheduled or still on?
Dozens of concerts were canceled due to the coronavirus — and more might still be coming — but many now have new dates. | Read more
FAQ: Coronavirus
Coronavirus is spreading in the U.S. Here's everything to know, from symptoms to how to protect yourself. [USA TODAY]
Worried about the coronavirus (COVID-19)? Here is what you should be aware of, from symptoms to best practices for avoiding the disease, including what you should do if you suspect you have contracted coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | Read more