Wear a mask and get a COVID-19 test, Manatee health officials say as state hits 100k cases
Local government officials aren’t ready to enforce an ordinance requiring everyone to wear a mask or face covering, but Manatee County’s top health official recommends wearing one anyway.
Dr. Jennifer Bencie, the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County’s health officer, joined in on a virtual town hall meeting hosted by the Manatee Community Foundation on Monday to share some public safety advice. As the state of Florida surpassed 100,000 confirmed positive cases, Bencie said everyone should be wearing a mask.
“It’s really important that everyone understands that the transmission could be dramatically reduced when they have masks on,” said Bencie, stressing the need to wear a mask or face covering to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “No one is immune to it and we all have to protect one another. Masks are the best way to do that, in addition to hand-washing, social distancing, etc.”
Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees issued a public health advisory Saturday urging all residents to wear a face covering in almost every setting, especially where social distancing isn’t possible.
In an interview with the Bradenton Herald last week, Commissioner Betsy Benac, who serves as the chairman of the Board of County Commissioners said a face mask ordinance wouldn’t likely pass in Manatee. Similar ordinances have been approved in St. Petersburg and Tampa, and mayors in South Florida said Monday would mandate the wearing of masks.
Benac said “personal responsibility” plays the biggest role in encouraging residents to wear a mask. She noted that businesses also have the right to deny service to anyone not wearing a mask.
Residents should also be taking advantage of the free coronavirus testing that’s available throughout the county, said William Colgate, senior director of community affairs with MCR Health Services.
“I want to strongly emphasize that I have had family and friends with just pink eye and a runny nose that have tested positive. Liberal testing is how we get ahead of this,” Colgate said during MCF’s town hall meeting.
“Contact tracing is going to be key,” added Dr. Lisa Merritt, executive director of the Multicultural Health Institute, which is working on ways to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable minority communities.
Throughout the nation, about a quarter of coronavirus-related deaths have been Black patients, Merritt noted. Bencie noted that her department has now expanded to testing migrant communities, mobile home parks and new walk-up test sites in different parts of the county.
The Department of Health also partnered with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce to provide 10,000 washable, reusable cloth masks to local businesses. For more information, visit www.RecoverManatee.com.
“Without a vaccine or herd immunity, we need to continue to fight this virus with social distancing, hand hygiene and the wearing of masks,” Bencie said.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 4:09 PM.
