Despite that facts that the country and the state have contradicting claims of whether they have peaked with their COVID-19 infection numbers and many experts project a second wave to hit, the nation is beginning to reopen.
Members of the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group briefly batted the topic around Monday afternoon before deciding they needed more data to even begin broaching the conversation. Several in-depth presentations will be given to the group this afternoon and a discussion on how and when the county can begin relaxing its restrictions will follow.
“I’m really looking forward to (today’s) meeting so we can start taking about the process of opening our economy up while still keeping our public safe,” Plant City Mayor Rick Lott said to the group. “I hope we can get the information we need at the earliest date possible so we can start having this conversation.”
The conversation thus far has always revolved around the concept of opening in phases. Instead of just going completely back to normal, things will slowly trickle back to the way they were before.
The problem at hand is the country has not had adequate supplies to do even a fraction of the amount of tests it would take to know for sure that the numbers being collected by the Department of Health and the CDC form an accurate representation of the impact of COVID-19 in America.
Governor Ron DeSantis said in a Tuesday news conference that Florida would provide the necessary testing required to reopen the state, though he was vague on exactly how those tests would be administered, when we would see them or how much it would cost the state to pull off.
“As people look at the next phase, they should understand that we’re all in on diagnostic testing, we’re all in on serological testing,” DeSantis said. “They’re both very, very important. We’ll probably have more testing sites in the next phase than in this phase because we don’t know what’s going to happen or how it’s going to pop up. We want employers to be able to send people to these places. I think that’s important.”
The meeting this afternoon will determine what Hillsborough County’s immediate plan of action is.
As we saw in Monday’s meeting, things are already in place to begin the process of helping prevent a second wave in the county. The website created by University of South Florida researchers that asks residents to participate in an anonymous online survey if they believe they have symptoms of COVID-19 is starting to see results.
The website was created to allow researchers to know an anonymous respondent’s geographic location when they complete the survey so they will be able to create a virtual heat map of the area. Then, if there is an indication of a COVID-19 hub in one area, government leaders can focus supplies, medical aid and resources to that general location to help nip it in the bud before it spreads.
Dr. Thomas Unnasch, USF health professor, told members of the EPG the goal was to use the model to predict the demands that the county would have “for hospital beds, for ICUs and for ventilators across the four-county Tampa Bay region.”
The county is also offering three new COVID-19 testing sites, including one right here in Plant City. Just like the Raymond James Stadium site, residents must schedule an appointment by calling 813-272-5900. They cannot simply show up at the site. The call center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The Plant City location opened yesterday and is at the Plant City Community Resource Center, 397 N. Michigan Ave. Testing will be administered for anyone who calls the number and is confirmed to have COVID-19 related symptoms. They will be given an appointment and must arrive at the specified time.
Hillsborough County is expected to receive $256 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. County commissioners will determine how to allocate the funds and the county will “encourage private matching funds and business partnerships to increase the potential investment impacts of the local stimulus dollars.”
CareerSource Tampa Bay is also putting plans in place to bring the local workforce back to the table. It plans to hold a virtual town hall meeting from 3 to 4 p.m. today for local businesses. It will explore the “challenges and initiatives for restarting the Tampa economy. The meeting will also focus on some of the frequently asked questions coming into the CSTB contact center.”
“CareerSource Tampa Bay will work diligently with the business community, educators and community action agencies,” CSTB CEO John Flanagan said in a news release. “We want to ensure that we, as a county and city, are ready to answer market demand for talent, post COVID-19 epidemic, and provide a system of resources and training to ensure a skilled and ready labor force.”
Any business interested in participating can email their request to marketing@careersourceTB.com. The call is limited to the first 300 requests.
The EPG meeting last week also began to set the stage for another potential hurdle ahead: hurricane season. The annual season starts June 1 and experts are saying it will more than likely be a more active than normal period.
Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management Director Tim Dudley told members of the group the county was prepared to meet any challenges potential hurricanes could throw their way head on and plans for the region are “being adjusted to reflect how operations would be handled.”
Tune in to today’s EPG meeting at 1:30 p.m. on the Hillsborough County’s YouTube channel or Facebook page.