Here's the latest county, city updates with COVID-19

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  • Osceola County
    Osceola County
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As most of Florida enters Phase 2 of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reopening place, Osceola County remains under a state of emergency originally implemented on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 The Board of County Commissioners will consider extending the declaration Monday, June, 8, for an additional seven days. The County’s declaration provides access to resources at the State and Federal level to support community needs as well as more quickly gathering needed emergency supplies from vendors as we deal with the ongoing pandemic. 

 Among the key provisions of Phase 2 are:

·Bars and restaurants will be allowed to re-open at 50 percent capacity indoors, and at full capacity outside with proper social distancing.

·Retail establishments and gyms may operate at full capacity.

·Entertainment venues such as movie theaters and bowling alleys can operate at 50 percent capacity.

·Tattoo parlors, tanning salons and other personal service businesses can also reopen as long as they adhere to guidance from the Florida Department of Health.

“As we move into Phase 2 of the Governor’s plan, we are cautiously optimistic based on the increased test data we are seeing. We hope that as businesses open and people go back to work, it will help ease some of the mental and economic strain everyone has felt during this crisis,” said Commission Chairwoman Viviana Janer. “The effects of pandemic continue to test us but we are a resilient community that is up to the challenges we face.”

Janer asked that residents please remember to continue to wash their hands, practice social distancing in crowds and to wear face coverings in public.

All businesses re-opening are expected to follow social distancing and sanitizing practices. All Floridians are encouraged to avoid groups larger than 50 people. Additionally, individuals over the age of 65 or with underlying health conditions are encouraged to continue to avoid crowds altogether to limit their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Testing remains a priority in Osceola, with more than 15,000 tests administered. Results show that Osceola continues to maintain a positive rate of less than 5 percent.

The county continues to work closely with our business community to ensure they are following guidelines to reopen safely. We also support our tourism attraction partners with letters of endorsement for their re-openings and individually review each attraction to ensure they follow appropriate health and safety measures.

The county is currently assessing our plan to re-open our buildings to the public now that Phase 2 has begun.

Other information

County:  Accepted 500 applications for rental and mortgage foreclosure prevention assistance for families who have lost their jobs or had an impact to their income due to COVID-19 on Monday. This was the third round of assistance. Look to website and social media for future opportunities.

·To further support food pantries, Osceola REDI has organized fundraising efforts continuing through June, with a goal of $100,000. Learn more and contribute  at www.FeedingOsceola.org.

·Osceola has not received money from the CARES Act, and respectfully continues to request that the Governor release some of the $1.2 billion Coronavirus Relief funding to our County. If issued these funds, the County would be able to issue grants to small businesses and determine other opportunities to help our residents, including an increase for our rental and foreclosure prevention assistance and funding for food pantries.

 Testing: www.osceola.org/covid19testing

·Testing available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Prescriptions Unlimited, 2521 13th Street, Suite A in St. Cloud. Appointments are not required. Testing is on a first come, first served basis with a limited number of tests available. There are no symptom criteria.

·Testing available Mondays and Fridays by appointment only at the Florida Department of Health in Osceola County, 1875 Fortune Road, Kissimmee. Call 407-343-2000 to schedule an appointment. There are no symptom criteria.

·Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holopaw Community Center, 8801 Community Center Road, St. Cloud.  Call the Florida Department of Health in Osceola County at 407-343-2000 to schedule an appointment.  There are no symptom criteria.

·Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Osceola Community Health Services (Poinciana Location), 109 Doverplum Avenue. Testing available for Poinciana residents with appointments only.  Call Osceola Community Health Services at 407-943-8600 to schedule an appointment.  Limited appointments available.

·Wednesday, June 10, 2020 and Thursday, June 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kissimmee Civic Center, 201 E. Dakin Ave., Kissimmee. Call the Florida Department of Health in Osceola County at 407-343-2000 to schedule an appointment.  There are no symptom criteria.

 Courts: As of Monday, limited in-person contact is authorized for certain purposes and requires use of protective measures per the Ninth Judicial Circuit’s operational plan. This allows for a limited expansion of in-person proceedings. Screening is in place at the Osceola County Courthouse.

 Kissimmee: The city of Kissimmee will move into Phase II starting Monday. The following facilities and programs will re-open or begin on Monday: City Hall (Building Department and public reception areas for each department), police department lobby, playgrounds, skate parks and dog parks. City hall and the police department will require anyone entering the building to wear a face cover, pass a temperature check, and maintain social distancing.

·The city will begin to operate Summer Camps and will re-open the Bob Makinson Aquatic Center to the public on Monday, June 15 with reduced occupancy and enhanced safety measures.

·City Commission Meetings and Advisory Board Meetings will continue to operate virtually as long as Executive Order 20-69 remains in effect by Governor Ron DeSantis. Information on how the public may participate in such meetings remotely is found on the City’s website at www.kissimmee.org.

 St. Cloud

The city of St. Cloud is accepting Grant Applications for Business Assistance. The city approved a $1.25 million Economic Stimulus Plan to support local businesses Impacted by COVID-19. For more information or to receive a copy of the grant application, please contact the Economic Development Office at 407-957-7235 or by email: economicdevelopment@stcloud.org

·To support small businesses, the city is asking the community to reinvest as well through the ‘Buy Local’ initiative.

·The first floor of City Hall Building A, to include the Permitting Department, Building Department, Community Development and the St. Cloud Utilities Customer Service office have reopened Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Building B, has also opened on behalf of the Osceola County Tax Collectors Office, via appointment only.  Please visit their website for additional information. Hand sanitizing stations will be located throughout the facility. Physical distancing will be required and enforced. Patrons are required to wear a face covering in City Hall.

·All city park playgrounds and the Lakefront splash pad will open to the public effective, Thursday, June 11th.

·The city of St. Cloud has proudly partnered with Second Harvest Food Ban to host a food share on Friday, June 12 at 9 a.m. Vehicles will enter at Peghorn Way and line up along the path to the St. Cloud Civic Center. For more information please contact Parks and Recreation at 407-957-7243.