Coronavirus updates: Here’s what to know in Bradenton and Manatee County on Sept. 21
The latest on the COVID-19 pandemic in Bradenton and Manatee County.
More than 50 new infections in Manatee County
Another 52 Manatee County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the the Florida Department of Health. They were among 2,521 new cases confirmed statewide on Sunday.
The state health department reported nine more COVID-19-related deaths of Florida residents, none of them from Manatee County. Manatee County’s death toll remained at 277. The state death toll is now at 13,296 residents and 163 non-residents.
Florida has seen one of the deadliest outbreaks of COVID-19 in the nation, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Overall, Florida ranks fifth for COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. And over the past week, Florida tied with California for the highest number of new COVID-19 deaths reported, 273.
Florida is also near the top of the list for the number of total COVID-19 infections. The state has had the third-most cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. since the outbreak began, according to the CDC, and ranks third in the number of new cases reported over the past week.
Florida has now had 683,754 reported cases of COVID-19. Manatee County cases, now at 11,210, account for 1.6% of that total.
The 2021 Manatee County Fair will go on
The 105th Manatee County Fair will go on as scheduled in January, regardless of what the coronavirus pandemic looks like at the time, according to fair organizers.
That’s the pledge of fair officials at this point and it would take significant developments to change anyone’s mind, said Brian Williams, a fair director and a member of the Palmetto City Commission.
“That’s the direction we are moving and we are hoping everything will be down to where we are back to normal with no masks and no social distancing,” Williams said.
But there are contingencies, if needed.
“We are still planning, in fact we have about five different plans,” said Danny Alfonso, fair manager. “We just have to be ready to go with whatever it looks like in January, but we are making plans for a possible reduced vendor list to allow for social distancing spacing between them. There are a lot of things we are looking at.”
Read more here.
More than 1,300 kids in Manatee County have tested positive
An additional 38 children in Manatee County have tested positive for the novel coroanvirus in the past week, according to the Florida Department of Health.
In a report dated Friday, the health department said 1,323 Manatee County residents 17 and younger had tested positive since the start of the pandemic. That’s up from 1,285 a week earlier.
Since the start of the pandemic, 12.5% of the 10,586 children in Manatee County who have been tested have been found to be infected with the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
Suspended school principal back at work after positive COVID test
Principal Paul Hockenbury has returned to Kinnan Elementary School after a suspension that followed his decision to get tested for COVID-19 and continue working on campus. He then tested positive in mid-August, just before students arrived for the new school year.
According to new reports obtained through a public records request, Hockenbury visited a second school during the same time period, and the longtime district employee has one prior disciplinary memo in his file.
Hockenbury did not respond to a reporter’s questions on Friday.
The Bradenton Herald reported on the events leading up to his suspension in late August, referencing an internal newsletter sent from the principal to his staff and later obtained by the newspaper.
“This is due to a violation of a district procedure put into place on 8/10,” Hockenbury said in the newsletter, announcing his suspension to school employees. “More specifically, I came to work for two days after being tested for COVID after work on 8/12. I did not have symptoms but could have possibly been exposed the week prior.”
Read more here.
Which Manatee County schools have been hit with COVID-19?
Read the list here.
Among the places you can get tested for the novel coronavirus are:
A drive-thru site near The Mall at University Town Center, in the parking lot east of Dillard’s, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until the site uses all of its test equipment for the day.
A walk-up site at Lincoln Park, 501 17th St. E., Palmetto, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.or until the site uses all of its test equipment for the day. Antibody testing, which requires the drawing of blood, also is available at this location.
FOOD PANTRIES IN MANATEE COUNTY
As COVID-19 has ravaged Manatee County and employers have shedded jobs, food security has become a bigger issue for many residents.
Manatee County government has released a list of food pantries in the county where residents can obtain free food and other assistance.
Read it here.
NEED A JOB? LOOK HERE
Employers can post jobs while workers displaced by the coronavirus pandemic can search for them at jobfocus.com, a service hosted by the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.
Also, here is a link to more information about applying for unemployment benefits in Florida.
BRADENTON RESTAURANTS OFFERING TAKE-HOME AND DELIVERY SERVICES
The Bradenton Herald has published a list of restaurants offering take out and/or delivery services during the coronavirus pandemic.
Also, feel free to leave the names, addresses and phone numbers of other restaurants, either as a comment on our Facebook page or on the page for the Manatee Eats group.