Sponsored by the Miami Dade College Foundation

Bulletin Board

🚍 Join a conversation about transit safety. Reduced bus schedules are meant to reduce the risk to drivers and riders alike. But with the drivers’ unions suing the city for masks and hand sanitizer, images surfacing of packed buses and the fact that many testing centers are drive-through only, the Transit Alliance and Street Plans is putting on a webinar to discuss a path forward for transportation during this crazy time. It’s tomorrow at 1 p.m. and you can register here.

👩🏻‍⚕️ Feeding the frontlines. There’s no doubt our local healthcare workers—from cleaning staff to docs in charge—are putting themselves in the line of fire every day. One org is partnering with local restaurants to provide hospital staff meals. The silver lining is that the meals also support the restaurants, who are also trying to stay afloat. Win-win. Consider supporting the initiative here.

🌿 Buy a mask, just not a medical grade one. The shortage of surgical masks and N-95 masks should be saved for healthcare workers. That’s why everyone from The Upcycle Foundation to Martha of Miami are selling simple yet effective masks to get out of the house for essential functions safely. Check out more mask resources here. 

We’ve compiled all of these COVID-19 bulletin board entries on our website.

We’ve continued to update this list so feel free to share any online events, volunteer opportunities or other ways for folks to get involved while staying safe. Hit reply and let us know or email us with the subject line COVID Bulletin Board. 

Thanks again to our Bulletin Board sponsor, the Miami Dade College Foundation. Head here to support their COVID-19 Student Relief Fund.

📊 Numbers — There are 25,996 positive cases in the state, up from 23,340 on Friday. And 764 deaths, an increase from 614 on Friday. 230,083 people who’ve been tested don’t have COVID-19. The state updates its testing numbers twice daily, in the late morning and after 6 p.m.

👀 Local impact — Miami-Dade and Broward cases have increased to 13,160 positives. Here’s a list of testing sites in SoFla. In-home testing in Miami-Dade County is underway and is open to senior citizens and adults living with disabilities.

It’s our senior citizens and residents of long-term care facilities that are the most pressing concern for Florida at the moment. While Governor DeSantis shared that 43% of Florida hospital beds are unoccupied, these long-term care facilities remain hot beds for the disease. One in five COVID-19 deaths are happening in elder-care homes, with one Pembroke Pines VA nursing home reporting 12 new cases. One woman at another facility in Miami hadn’t left her nursing home in 3 years–and succumbed to COVID-19 last week.

The Herald, among other publications, were applying pressure onto the governor’s office to release the names of the long-term care facilities at risk for the virus and that list has finally been released. Check it out here. 

🗣️ Response — At this point, we know that the state of emergency has been extended another 7 days (meaning, until this Thursday). And it appears local officials are starting to feel the strain.

In Hialeah, emails praising Mayor Hernandez are being flagged as fake, when they were read aloud at a city council meeting. The emails were presented without addresses, fueling the conspiracy theory, especially when the mayor was criticized for not taking measures soon enough.  With 1,099 cases, Hialeah has the 3rd highest case count in the state.

Meanwhile in Broward, the Davie police chief is now among the unemployed after allegedly saying the BSO deputy who died of COVID-19 got it because he was gay.

🏨 Business impact —

The community and local businesses have found all kinds of ways of getting the message out there, be it commercial or just a PSA. While ad agencies are reminded that the coronavirus isn’t a brief, you can guarantee there will be a roundup of the least tasteful messages out there when this is all over.

For now, let us know what flagrant COVID advertising you’ve seen in the wild at [email protected].

If you’ve applied for unemployment and are an independent contractor—22% of Florida’s workforce— you are eligible to receive CARES Act funds… but you’ll have to get in line. DeSantis shared that there is a backlog of 800,000 waiting on aid. And how has that shaken out so far? 33,000 have received their checks so far.

🎓Schools — It’s official, parents. DeSantis announced over the weekend that K-12 schools will not return to campus this school year. Sending ALL of the sanity and positive vibes to students, teachers, and parents in the background of Zoom classrooms.

❌ Closures, orders, and cancellations — Here’s a roundup of curfews and mandates that individual cities, towns, and villages in the 305 have ordered for their residents.

✅ Other helpful info — The Herald put together a list of resources for folks seeking unemployment help, child care, and some useful hotlines. Here’s a look at new operating hours for grocery stores, including hours designated for senior citizens to shop. And here are lists of local food spots offering takeout and delivery from the New Times and Infatuation Miami.

A note from your new Miami editor, plus a SUPER disappointing meme that must be fixed.

That headline up there is meant to be read to the tune of Hulu’s “Dave,” which has been one of the more hilarious quarantine finds.

I’m Carmen, Miami native, wife and mom of two kids under 3, weird but deep ties to Gloria Estefan, and proud Grovite (but former West Kendall girl. Shoutout Islas Canarias croquetas aka the best in the game. Don’t @ me.)

Lance leaves MASSIVE shoes to fill, but I do hope we’ll get to know each other and that we’ll get to watch Miami do what Miami does best— make a comeback. But let’s not call it a comeback.

Because if there’s one thing that I’ve learned throughout these COVID days, it’s that we are a resilient bunch. Sometimes shifty and always scrappy. We’re going to get through this and in the process, continue to consider The New Tropic your resource for crucial updates, as well as those stories that make you go “that would happen here.”

As my first order of business, I need your help. Our friends at @Onlyindade were equally appalled at this meme.

Help us fix it, and shoot your recos to [email protected].

— The New Tropic