Manatee County approves local state of emergency in response to coronavirus outbreak
A local state of emergency has been declared in Manatee County, where there have been five confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The Manatee Board of County Commissioners met Monday afternoon to vote on the declaration, which will allow the county’s emergency operations center to operate for extended hours and will make the county eligible to receive reimbursements from the federal government on emergency expenditures.
Officials voted unanimously to approve the declaration that came just moments after state officials announced two more cases in the area. The main reason to issue the order, according to Public Safety Director Jacob Saur, is to earn reimbursement money.
Coronavirus state of emergency: What does it mean?
“It’s not to panic the public. It’s really for tracking and financial purchases,” Saur told commissioners.
The county has already purchased two aerosol sanitizers for ambulances and buses for $30,000. Those purchases should be eligible for reimbursement.
Gov. Ron DeSantis first declared a state of emergency on March 1, when the first two cases of coronavirus were reported in Florida. President Donald Trump announced a national state of emergency Friday. In a news conference Monday afternoon, Trump urged the public to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.
According to Florida Statutes and the Manatee County Code, the local declaration also enables the use of emergency powers, which could be used to enact a curfew that would restrict residents from leaving their homes. Similar actions have been taken in other states and territories.
“It’s a public issue that all of us have to work together to protect the most vulnerable,” said Dr. Jennifer Bencie, the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County’s health officer.
Puerto Rico enacted a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In New York, “non-essential businesses” like restaurants and bars have been ordered to close by 8 p.m.
The county has no plans to close public beaches. Any directive to close private businesses would come from DeSantis, Saur said. According to County Administrator Cheri Coryea, if the county were to consider closing beaches or other parks, affected municipalities would be a part of the discussion and alerted in advance.
The city of Palmetto also unanimously approved an emergency declaration Monday afternoon. The city of Bradenton Beach is set to consider an emergency declaration Tuesday morning.
County Commissioner Carol Whitmore urged the public to protect themselves from the virus and listen to public health officials.
“The reason this is different is because there’s no treatment,” she said. “We only have five cases in Manatee County, but we don’t know how to treat it.”
Fellow board members echoed those concerns.
“If you feel like you’re over-preparing, you’re doing it correctly,” said Commissioner Misty Servia.
According to Bencie, there has been community spread of the virus in Manatee because some patients don’t have any relevant travel history. She explained that the latest research shows that as many as 80 percent of residents may contract the coronavirus and not show symptoms, but they could pass it along to those with weaker immune systems.
In the meantime, residents should try to quarantine themselves as much as possible, said Saur, who also highlighted the importance of routine hand washing and social distancing.
“Even if you’re not feeling sick or having signs of the flu, you really should go about the premise that you have it so that you’re limiting yourself in public,” Saur suggested.
How do I get tested for coronavirus in Manatee County?
In Manatee County, there have also been concerns among residents who feel that they may have the virus, but are unsure how to get tested. In those cases, Bencie directed those exhibiting symptoms to call the Department of Health Coronavirus Hotline.
“If they fit the criteria, we ask them where they want to go for care, like an emergency room,” said Bencie. “We coordinate with that emergency room and EMS so that those people are protected and there’s an isolation room in advance.”
Those who don’t meet the DOH criteria for a test will instead be referred to their healthcare provider. However, providers have specimen collection kits, not the state testing kits that are available at emergency rooms.
Because of a nationwide shortage of testing kits, healthcare providers are working with private labs, such as Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp to determine coronavirus test results, Bencie said.
Anyone dealing with COVID-19 symptoms, such as a cough, fever or shortness of breath, is asked to call the DOH at (866) 779-6121.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 2:50 PM.
