COVID-19 in Osceola County

Osceola County is in a state of emergency because of the global Covid-19 outbreak.

County officials made the declaration the number Monday as of infected residents grew.

By Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported that eight Osceola County residents have the highly contagious virus that originated in China and has spread across the world.

The figures show that three of the cases are related to travel and that the two women and six men who are infected are between the ages of 18 and 65. Where those people are being treated and how local health officials are testing potential carriers of the virus is unknown.

However, Osceola County officials are working closely with the Florida Department of Health, the lead agency during this event. For the most current information and resources from DOH, call the 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121 or go to FloridaHealth.Gov.

The county also has established www.osceola.org/covid19 to aggregate the latest news and information affecting Osceola.

Calls to 9-1-1 reflect the current crisis. Operators are asking additional questions to determine if callers have flu-like symptoms, have recently traveled, or have come in contact with someone who has the coronavirus.

In some cases, the first responders may arrive wearing protective garments and masks over their nose and mouth as a precaution. They will also ask some additional questions related to Covid-19 when arriving at a scene.

“There’s no need panic,” Sheriff Russ Gibson said Monday at a press conference.

“This isn’t a hurricane we’ve gone through. This isn’t a tornado or some other catastrophe. This is something that’s completely under control.

We haven’t lost electricity, we haven’t lost fuel, we haven’t lost water...There’s been no interruption of any supplies coming to any of the stores,” he said.

Local law enforcement does not expect any delay in response times and are prepared for the crisis.

“We’re all in this together,” Gibson said. The emergency declaration in Osceola means the county government can access state and federal funds and can more easily purchase supplies. The governments for the cities of Kissimmee • and St. 011 Cloud also have declared states of emergency.

State of Emergency

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday ordered all bars and nightclubs to close and recommended that restaurants reduce capacity by 50 percent and distance tables to make sure there is six feet of separation between groups of diners. Similar orders are in place in states and cities across the United States. DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida earlier this month, which allows residents to refill their prescriptions early. People with recurring prescriptions may obtain a 30-day early refill in order to ensure medications are on hand, even if the prescription has been recently filled. Early refills will be noted to insurance companies and added to the patient’s refill schedule. For example, if there are 10 days left on a prescription and a 30-day emergency refill was received, the patient must wait the full 40 days before the prescription may be filled again, according to information from Osceola County.

The county is touting advice from the Centers for Disease Control on “social distancing:’ It recommends that Americans should avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.

Osceola County School District

Osceolis 70,000 students are already home from school this week for spring break, but the School District has closed the county’s 67 schools for next week, too.

However, to ensure that students have nutritious meals while away from school, the district’s School Nutrition Services Department will provide free breakfast and lunch to children 18 years old and younger during the extended school closure between March 23 through March 27 from 9:30-11 a.m. at the following sites.

Michigan Avenue Elementary - 2015 S. Michigan Avenue in St. Cloud

Lakeview Elementary - 2900 5th Street in St. Cloud

Ventura Elementary - 275 Waters Edge Drive in Kissimmee

Denn John Middle - 2001 Denn John Lane in Kissimmee

Central Avenue Elementary - 500 W. Columbia Avenue in Kissimmee

Osceola High - 420 S. Thacker Avenue in Kissimmee

Kissimmee Middle - 2410 Dyer Boulevard in Kissimmee

Sunrise Elementary - 1925 Ham Brown Road in Kissimmee (Poinciana)

KOA Elementary - 5000 Koa Street in Kissimmee (Poinciana)

Deerwood Elementary - 3701 Marigold Avenue in Kissimmee (Poinciana)

Westside K-8 School - 2551 Westside Boulevard in Kissimmee

Cameron Preserve apartments - 4451 Cameron Preserve Circle

Families can go to the nearest school to pick up the food, even if they don’t attend that school.

Families will drive up in the bus loops and will be handed meals through the vehicle window. Students must accompany the parent or other adult picking up the food, and meals can be provided to children not of school age if they are in the group picking up the food.

Government Jurisdictions

Public meetings for Osceola County and the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud have been postponed. The government agencies also have closed all community centers, suspended permitting for events scheduled during March and have increased deaning in public restrooms at public parks, which remain open.

“These are the necessary steps that will help us protect our residents. We are working in tandem with Osceola County and our neighbor, the city of Kissimmee. We will get through this; we have to take this a day at a time City Manager William Sturgeon said.

First Responders

The city of Kissimmee Police and Fire departments are making some changes in the way they respond to request for assistance.

When dialing 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, call-takers are asking additional questions to determine if you have flu-like symptoms, have recent travel, or have come in contact with someone who has the coronavirus. In some cases, the first responders may arrive wearing protective garments and masks over their nose and mouth as a precaution. They will then ask some additional questions to determine if you have flu-like symptoms at a distance.

The city’s departments will assure you, none of the new protocols will delay assistance and the actions taken are consistent with the way they typically handle someone with fluike symptoms.

For more information about the city of Kissimmee, visit www.kissimmee.org.

OTHER INFORMATION

Osceola County libraries have canceled all programming and closed meeting rooms but remain open daily until 6 p.m. Following guidelines from the Supreme Court, the Osceola County Clerk of Court has suspended all civil and jury trials until March 27.

The Kissimmee Utility Authority, the Orlando Utilities Commission and Toho Water Authority have suspended disconnections to assist residents who are having difficulties paying the bills.

Many who work in the service industry are out of work because of the closure of Central Florida theme parks, including Disney World and Universal Studios and their associated hotels and restaurants.

Residents who cannot pay their rent or mortgage because of the health crisis can get assistance by contacting the Osceola County Human Services Department at 407-742-8400.

The Florida Attorney General has activated the price gouging hotline for anyone to report coronavirus-related price gouging. Incidents should be reported at 1-866-9NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or online at visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.

“People with recurring prescriptions may obtain a 30-day early refill in order to ensure medications are on hand, even if the prescription has been recently filled. Early refills will be noted to insurance companies and added to the patient’s refill schedule.”