Florida surgeon general says masks will be part of ‘normal’ life until COVID-19 vaccine

Floridians need to keep their distance and wear masks until a COVID-19 vaccine is discovered, the state’s top health official said Monday, as Miami-Dade’s mayor said he’s drafting a plan to return to “as normal a life as possible” without endangering public health.

Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees told reporters in Tallahassee that keeping six feet apart from people, wearing masks and having the elderly avoid public interactions would be part of the state’s lifestyle until science develops a vaccine against the contagious and sometimes deadly virus.

“Until we get a vaccine, which is a while off, this is going to be our new normal and we need to adapt and protect ourselves,” Rivkees said, before being whisked away by the governor’s spokeswoman.

It’s not clear whether Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed with Rivkees’ assessment. DeSantis’ spokeswoman, Helen Aguirre Ferré, did not return a request for comment.

The vision of Floridians wearing masks indefinitely offers one measure of the next phase in pandemic life as political leaders shift some focus to easing unprecedented restrictions on commerce and recreation.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez plans to convene a virtual town hall Wednesday to discuss COVID-19 measures on parks and other open spaces as part of his new “Moving to a New Normal Initiative.”

“We’re seeing a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, starting with the number of hospitalizations that are steadying in Miami-Dade County,” Gimenez said in a video address.

“Starting later this week,” he said, “we’ll be working with community leaders and health experts to establish a deliberate plan to allow people in our county to return to as normal a life as possible without jeopardizing the health of our community and our most vulnerable residents.”

In making his announcement, Gimenez pointed to statistics showing county hospitals aren’t yet overwhelmed by coronavirus cases. The daily surveys by the county showed 626 COVID-19 patients Sunday at more than two dozen hospitals, down from 710 on Friday. More than half of the hospitals’ intensive-care beds remain available. Rivkees also pointed to hospital figures suggesting Florida has been spared an overwhelming COVID-19 surge for now.

“We are in a plateau situation,” he said. “We cannot let our guard down.”

A leading model developed at the University of Washington still predicts the worst is yet to come in Florida, with peak hospitalizations expected to arrive May 3. The model does not predict hospitals will run out of intensive-care beds, assuming social-distancing measures continue statewide.

Nearly 500 people have died in Florida after becoming infected with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as Miami-Dade continues to lead the state in confirmed cases and fatalities related to the virus. On the same day Florida broke 20,000 reported cases, the state Department of Health on Monday evening confirmed 418 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total of confirmed cases to 21,019.

Cases continue to grow in Florida and Miami-Dade, but at a slower rate than in recent weeks. The three-day average of cases in Florida was up about 5 percent on Monday, and tests were up 6 percent. Miami-Dade saw cases up 6 percent, and tests are up 8 percent. A week ago, those indicators were growing between 10 and 11 percent in Miami-Dade and across Florida.

Testing remains in demand. The drive-through site at Hard Rock Stadium — now open to any adult with COVID-19 symptoms, health issues, or exposure to the virus — reached capacity less than two hours after opening at 9 a.m. Monday. Key Biscayne is launching its own drive-through testing site for residents with symptoms or who are considered “frontline” workers. Details are available at kbcovidtesting.org.

Local governments continue imposing new restrictions on residents while grappling with the unprecedented strain on resources as much of the economy remains shuttered. On Monday, the cities of Hialeah, Miami Lakes and Hialeah Gardens announced a coordinated curfew running from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. (Hialeah’s previous curfew began at 11 p.m.)

Also on Monday, Miami-Dade delivered its millionth meal to homebound seniors. For the last month, Miami-Dade has offered free meal delivery to seniors in need, with delivery firms depositing a week’s worth of sealed, shelf-stable meals to more than 80,000 people since early March. Maurice Kemp, the Gimenez deputy mayor overseeing the effort, said the cost has been nearly $10 million. He thinks there’s a good chance Washington will cover most of the expense.

Kemp said the deliveries are vital to keeping the elderly at home during a pandemic from a virus that’s particularly dangerous to older people.

“This is not a senior meal program,” he said. “This is a life-saving program.”