Bradenton must prepare for coronavirus, ‘like a hurricane plan on steroids,’ expert says
Federal and state officials say they’re doing everything they can to prepare for a potential outbreak of the new coronavirus in the United States. In Manatee County, local officials are still scrambling to put their plans together.
The new coronavirus, called COVID-19, originated in Wuhan, China, late last year.
Late Sunday, Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that a Manatee County resident and a Hillsborough County resident have tested “presumptively positive” for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. They are the first two reported cases in Florida.
The Florida Department of Health updated its covid-19 website on Sunday, listing the two presumptive positives, eight cases pending testing results, and 184 people under monitoring.
Manatee County, along with the rest of the state and country, are not prepared for an outbreak in the United States, according to former Manatee County Emergency Management Chief Sherilyn Burris, who now works as a crisis, disaster and emergency management consultant.
“I don’t think anybody is ready to get to the point of quarantine or self-isolation,” Burris said.
In general, the threat of an epidemic, like the novel coronavirus, spreading through the community poses a greater overall risk than a wildfire, sea level rise or red tide, according to the latest version of Manatee County’s Local Mitigation Strategy, a document that outlines plans to reduce and identify hazards.
Manatee County monitoring coronavirus
Manatee County Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer reiterated to the Bradenton Herald in a Thursday interview that his team continues to monitor the situation and that a response to the medical aspect would be directed by the Florida Department of Health.
Litschauer also explained that the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment doesn’t necessarily mean that Manatee is in danger of an outbreak but provides an abstract ranking of possible threats in the area. Also on the list: hurricanes, power failure and train derailments.
But Manatee County’s plan, like those elsewhere in Florida, is not specific to any particular infectious disease nor does it specify different processes required depending on how a particular disease is transmitted, according to Burris. The plan calls for monitoring but offers no instruction on how to do so.
Burris was emergency management officer during the Ebola outbreak in 2014 when Manatee County first created the plan.
Some government departments or other entities, like EMS for example, do have more detailed plans, according to Burris.
“But in emergency management, you’re only as strong as the weakest link,” she said.
According to the county’s plan, most of Manatee’s jurisdictions are at moderate- to high-risk of community contamination because of population density. Manatee’s status as a tourist destination means that there’s “a large annual influx of seasonal residents” and other visitors who may introduce contamination from other parts of the world.
‘Plan for it to be here’
Burris said now is the time to plan, as a community and on the individual level.
“Plan for it to be here,” she said. “If there is a case, your planning is closed. It’s done.”
After attending a Manatee Health Alliance meeting Thursday, County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she’s comfortable with Manatee’s approach to handling a potential outbreak.
“I’ve been talking with Public Safety, and they are going through their stuff now, just like they did with Ebola. Each organization is in discussion and our hospitals have protocols in place,” Whitmore explained.
A plan to deal with a potential outbreak is more about human behavior than it is the actual hazard, Burris cautioned. With no possibility of a vaccine in the near future, dealing with a potential coronavirus outbreak will be almost completely based on human behavior, she said.
Getting information to residents will be key but it will need to be in a very calm and methodical way, Burris said.
“The county needs to be looking to be providing mass services at an individual level,” she said.
In 2020, she feels that plan should include offering more government-provided services online. But that won’t eliminate the need for all in-person services, so there needs to be a plan for eliminating risk when people are out in public. Even if people have to be quarantined, some services will still need to be provided so plans need to be in place to staff hospitals, grocery stores, gas stations, garbage pickup, water treatment plants and other essential services.
Burris also worries that there are no plans on how to deal with a coronavirus outbreak during the threat of a disaster, such as a hurricane. Being able to mass shelter thousands during a threat of a hurricane while there are confirmed cases of coronavirus without a plan presents a legal and physical risk, she said. She also feels a plan is needed on how food, water and other supplies can be distributed during a disaster without in-person services during an outbreak.
Stockpiling medical supplies, a common mistake, is not the way to prepare, she explained. There is not enough hospital-based equipment, especially respirators and ventilators which would be crucial in a coronavirus outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control doesn’t recommend that everyone wear masks. Masks should be worn by those with the virus or people who show symptoms. They are crucial for anyone taking care of someone who is sick. Anyone more vulnerable to the virus, as determined by their doctor, should only wear a mask when told to do so by that doctor.
“Those masks are great but if you are not using them properly, or you’re touching your face underneath and not washing your hands, you are not actually reducing your risk,” Burris said.
Her advice to residents on how they can prepare on an individual level is get out pen and paper and write everything they do on a daily basis. Then, Burris said, people need to figure out how they would do those things if they weren’t allowed to leave their house for a month, or limited to leaving only once a week, for example.
“If you are not going to work, maybe you don’t need gas. If you rely on public transportation, and it shuts down, what are you going to do?” Burris said. “It’s like a hurricane plan on steroids.”
If coronavirus hits Bradenton, what will schools do?
Coronavirus has the potential to shut down schools and interrupt students’ learning. While there were no confirmed cases in Florida as of Thursday morning, schools throughout the state were preparing for its likely spread in the United States.
The School District of Manatee County planned to share information from local and national health organizations by Thursday evening. Manatee would encourage students to practice normal hygiene, such as regular hand-washing, and it would urge students and employees to stay at home when sick, district spokesman Mike Barber said.
Barber said the information would be posted on Manatee’s website, and that students and employees would receive a link to that information. He also said the district was following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County.
“We’re in preparation mode,” Barber said. “We’ll be watching it closely and working with those agencies.”
Manatee’s neighbor, Sarasota County Public Schools, shared similar information on social media. The district offered several tips: wash hands, cough into sleeves, avoid sharing food and drinks, eat healthy and get adequate sleep.
Students, staff and teachers should also be excused from school until they were “fever-free without medication for 24 hours,” according to the post.
In a post last month, as fears and misinformation began to circulate, Sarasota dispelled a rumor that one of its students contracted the virus. The hoax started on Snapchat, a mobile messaging application.
“We want to assure families that our school health department is in active, constant communication with the Department of Health to assess any health concerns in our community, as well as any preventative measures for potential outbreaks of any kind,” the district reported.
Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, held a press conference on the virus and prevention efforts on Wednesday. He also posted a series of updates to Twitter over the last several days.
“With a viable vaccine for #Coronavirus more than a year away, awareness, protection, and prevention, are key in containing this global pandemic,” the superintendent wrote.
“In preparation for the possibility of local detection of #coronavirus, we are prepared to implement, should need warrant it, alternate dismissal of students, reduce large scale student assemblies, while increasing school cleaning cycles,” he continued.
Much like neighboring districts, Carvalho highlighted the importance of personal hygiene. In a news release posted to the district website, Pinellas County Schools urged students to stay home when sick, and for everyone to practice healthy living.
“As an added precaution, we have elevated our cleaning and disinfecting protocols at all district facilities and will ensure that soap dispensers remain filled and hand sanitizer is readily accessible,” Pinellas said in its release.
Each district said it was leaning on information from the CDC, which recently issued a document called “Interim Guidance for Childcare Programs and K-12 Schools.”
CDC officials recommended that school districts share fact sheets and informational posters with their community. The CDC also urged schools to “discourage the use of perfect attendance awards or incentives.”
“Develop flexible attendance and sick leave policies that encourage students and staff to stay home when sick or when caring for sick family members,” the document states.
The national organization also encouraged local schools to alert their health departments of any large increases in student and staff absences, specifically when it comes to respiratory illnesses.
And in states with confirmed cases, the CDC said districts should consider closing affected schools for a period of two weeks, especially if students or employees were on campus before their diagnosis.
The CDC offered tips to continue students’ education outside of school, using video and audio lessons.
“As this global outbreak evolves, US communities, including schools, are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of community-level outbreaks in the United States,” it reported.
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 4:51 PM.
