Walton County COVID19 Updates

[jodiFL]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WKRG) –Governor Ron DeSantis said during his daily briefing Friday that checkpoints will be set up at state lines in Florida, limiting travel from covid-19 hot spots like Louisiana.

Commercial vehicles would be allowed to move freely. DeSantis said that vacation rentals will also be suspended for two weeks, “if you’re coming from one of the epicenters, we probably think you should obey the directions of your state and local officials. And if they are telling you to shelter in place do that but don’t come here.”

DeSantis says Panhandle communities have relatively low numbers of cases and they want to keep it that way.

The Governor said this is an effort to prevent people from traveling to Florida to escape other “hot spots” of the coronavirus. Details on the checkpoints weren’t extremely clear, but DeSantis said people with certain license plates would be diverted and “if they blow through the checkpoints they could be pulled over”

 

[Teresa]

Don’t come here.” Desantis: Checkpoints at state lines to keep travelers from covid-19 “epicenters” out of the panhandle

Governor Desantis says during his press conference now he will put in checkpoints on Florida highways to require people coming in from New Orleans and LA to isolate and self-quarantine so that people don't come into Panhandle.

 

[jodiFL]

Alot more info here. If you scroll to the bottom and "See the Report" it lists by age, location, whether or not it was travel related etc. It is showing 1 new case today. 7residents/7 non residents...

 

[Abby Prentiss]

Hello Visit South Walton partners!

It’s Friday! Take a deep breath — it’s been a stressful week, but we’ll make it through this together. How is everyone? I’ve talked to many of you in our industry, and the current crisis is hard on everyone. Some businesses have closed temporarily, while others are facing an uncertain future. However, we are all still hoping for – and planning for – a quick recovery once COVID-19 is no longer a threat.

Visit South Walton wants to help our industry bounce back quickly, and support you however we can. If you have a business website or Facebook page, we suggest that you update your Frequently Asked Questions section to include your COVID-19-related policies, with updated information such as cancellations, closings or current hours of operation.

There are many useful resources out there that may be of assistance to your business in this difficult time. We have collected a few here:

Visit the COVID-19 Travel Updates page on VisitSouthWalton.com at the top of the page, or here. Please feel free to contact me or our Content Manager Matt Algarin at Matt@visitsouthwalton.com if you would like to share your business’s information on this webpage, as it’s continually updated throughout the day.

At 2 p.m. today, the National Restaurant Association is hosting a webinar outlining how the newly passed stimulus package is going to help small business. Find the information attached and register here: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2244746/E852DEDBC9ADC7691945DD0728DE7CA0

Under the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Reemployment Assistance Center offers both workers and employers information about temporary wage replacement benefits for qualified individuals who are out of work through no fault of their own. Click here for more information.

Governor DeSantis’ request to the federal U.S. Small Business Administration to make the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program available for Florida’s small businesses impacted by COVID-19 has been granted. Small businesses are eligible to apply for the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans that offer up to $2 million in economic assistance to help small businesses overcome the temporary loss of revenue resulting from COVID-19.

Governor DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to support small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The bridge loan program, managed by DEO, provides short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury from COVID-19. The application period is open and runs through May 8, 2020. Interested businesses should visit www.FloridaDisaster.Biz, the website for assistance from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM). Together they coordinate local, state and federal agency actions to provide immediate and short-term assistance and identify available resources to business and industry as well as economic stabilization.

Apply for a small business disaster loan here.

The Business Damage Assessment survey is activated to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Florida’s local business operations. The survey, managed by DEO, will evaluate businesses affected by COVID-19 and the impacts the virus has had on the local economy so actions to implement appropriate relief programs can begin. The survey can be taken online here.

Find more information on DEO’s response to COVID-19 here.

The Department of Revenue issued an emergency order extending the due dates for March sales taxes for taxpayers adversely affected by COVID-19. More information can be found here.

Careeronestop.org, which is sponsored by the U.S. Labor Department,has career training and job search information for both employees and businesses.

The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce has a detailed webpage dedicated to links for further business assistance.

The U.S. Travel Association has details about the federal COVID-19 CARES Act, which is expected to be signed into law today (March 27).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health have the most up to date guidelines for COVID-19.

The Walton County Emergency Management has a Facebook page for more information, as does the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. WCSO Facebook

VISIT FLORIDA has provided a data dashboard updated daily with several key performance indicators such as impacts on travel planning, hotel and vacation rental bookings and airline capacity. Click here for more information from VISIT FLORIDA.

Please feel free to call us at the Visitor Center (850-267-1216) or contact me at Lisa@visitsouthwalton.com or (850) 333-2728 if you have questions or feedback about this current situation, or if we can help in some way. The Visitor Center at Highways 98 and 331 is currently closed to the public, but we have information specialists manning the phones, and most of our staff are working remotely.


Kindest regards,

Lisa Foster
Industry Relations Specialist
Walton County TDC
(850) 267-1216 ext 8512 | (850) 333-2728 Cell | Lisa@VisitSouthWalton.com

 

[liz coats]

It's a step in the right direction for non-essential business to voluntarily close although it obviously is a huge financial burden for the business owners, but it seems to be strictly voluntary. Alys Beach's businesses closed but right next door, I understand that the main business at Seacrest Beach is still open and it's always been a hot spot for people to hang out. Is it going to take an executive order from the governor for everyone to do the right thing to prevent the spread of the virus?

 

[RL41]

Now that the Federal govt has extended the mitigation/distancing phase until April 30th, I can only assume that Rosemary Beach, Water Color Inn etc, who were looking to re-open around April 7th-12th, will now be closed until at least April 30th?

 

[Teresa]

COVID19 UPDATE
WALTON County, FL
March 30th
10am
CASE DATA FOR Walton - No Change

Testing
Total: 111
Negative: 95
Positive: 15
Pending: 1

Total Cases: 15
Residents: 8
Residents Not in Florida: 0
Non-Residents: 7

Demographics of Cases
Age Range: 20 to 79
Average Age: 47
Men: 6
Women: 9

Conditions and Care
Deaths: 0
Hospitalizations: 4

Case Designations
Travel-Related: NA
Not Travel-Related: NA
Travel Unknown: NA

 

[Teresa]

Walton County Emergency Management
March 30

Based on the most recent Florida DOH Update, given at 10:00 am CST, Walton County has no additional positive tests and remains at 15 positive cases. There have been a total of 111 tests in Walton County with 95 negatives and 1 pending.

https://floridadisaster.org/globala...id-19-data---daily-report-2020-03-30-1013.pdf

 

[Teresa]

Walton County COVID 19 Update
March 30

The Florida Department of Health in Walton County has announced another positive case of COVID-19 in Walton County bringing the total to 16.

The individual is a 52-year-old female who is a Florida resident.

The Florida Department of Health in Walton County is working closely with all individuals, their close contacts, and healthcare providers to determine what additional COVID-19 testing may be required.

The DOH stresses the importance of following the local, state, federal and CDC guidelines and practicing physical distancing to protect those who are most at risk.

Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-83, directing the State Surgeon General and State Health Officer to issue a public health advisory to all persons over 65 years of age urging them to stay home and to take such other measures as necessary to limit their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Additional information on COVID-19 cases can be found here: https://fdoh.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html…

 

[Teresa]

Walton County Sheriff's Office
Michael A Adkinson Jr

Walton County Sheriff's Office would like to remind our residents of a few things on this Monday afternoon.

Our dispatchers have received a lot of different calls regarding COVID-19 and all things related to it. In the interest of pointing you in the right direction, we have some points of contact we'd like to offer to you.

In an emergency always dial 911. That one is easy-peasy.

To file a report or to report a non-emergency call (850)-892-8111. Deputies will call you back and could possibly take a report over the phone if the call permits. For their safety and yours.

As a heads up, dispatchers are asking COVID-19 related questions for your safety as well as the safety of our first responders when you call either our emergency or our non-emergency lines.

Don't be alarmed if our first responders are wearing protective equipment including gloves or masks when they respond to calls. They may also ask you to come to talk outside whenever possible.

In order to field basic questions about Walton County's COVID-19 response, you may call the Walton County Emergency Management Citizen Information Center at 850-892-8392.

For COVID-19 related questions please call the Florida Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121. Keep in mind this information line and what's provided is always evolving, much like the COVID-19 situation as a whole.