Coronavirus continues to spread across the state and many people have questions about how to stay safe. We invite you to submit your questions and we'll do our best to find answers. To ask a question, simply fill out the form below.
What are the ages of the people who have died from the virus in Florida?
The two people who died in Florida were both in their 70s.
I’m a cancer patient with low wbc counts. My husband and daughter have a vacation planned this week to fly to San Francisco. I’m very concerned. He’s thinking about canceling. Are we overthinking? We live in St. Pete and I’m on an oral chemo because of stage 4 cancer.
On March 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "Older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships."
For travel within the U.S., the CDC recommends checking its U.S. travel guide and understanding that going through crowded places like airports increase your chances for exposure. It recommends having plans in place in case you, or someone you're traveling with, is exposed.
According to California's Department of Public Health, community spread has been reported in San Francisco and there are around 200 cases of COVID-19 in the state.
When are the community colleges going to close since the university already did?
According to the Florida Department of Education, there is no official announcement forcing community colleges to close or host remote classes. The agency recommends school districts and colleges work directly with "their local county health departments to establish protocols to control the spread of COVID-19 and educate the public on prevention." As of now, these are closures in the Florida college system:
- Broward College - campuses open only to faculty and field experience courses from March 14 to 22. All classes resume March 23 either remotely or on a case-by-case basis.
- College of the Florida Keys is closing for 21 days following spring break.
- Miami Dade College - Miami Dade College is preparing to transition to a remote learning environment. Effective Friday, March 13, through Sunday, March 29, all classes will be canceled. During this time period, all employees will continue to report to campus so we can ready for the transition. The College will remain operational and all employees will report to work as scheduled.
- Valencia College - All Valencia campuses and locations are closed to students through Monday, March 23, 2020, at 6 a.m. ALL ONLINE CLASSES WILL CONTINUE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, but all face-to-face classes are canceled for the week and many will resume in an online format on Monday, March 23, 2020.
