You likely have heard that Florida Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials have confirmed the first two cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Sunshine State.
The patients, a woman in her 20s and a man in his 60s, are from Hillsborough and Manatee counties.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a statewide public health emergency on Sunday. He directed state health officials to take “any action necessary to protect the public health.”
That too is the playbook that the Beacon Critical Response Team is following.
The focus remains on emphasizing handwashing to students and staffers and regularly sanitizing public spaces around campus.
In consultation with school nurse Monica Rankin, internal protocols are primed to mitigate and minimize the spread of the illness should the campus experience an outbreak.
That includes:
- Students who experience flu-like symptoms or other complaints that mirror symptoms ascribed to COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath) should report immediately to the Beacon Student Health Clinic.
- Employees who experience these symptoms should contact his or her supervisor and arrange to stay home.
State officials report the threat to the public remains low. Meanwhile, the CRT team continues to monitor the evolving nature of the virus across the country and throughout the state.
In the meantime, a new critical resource for information on COVID-19 is available at the state health department website: http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/