Next door to Walton, I thought this was noteworthy and wondering if more military bases will be doing this... Hurlburt Field will be restricted to mission essential personnel only Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on March 31, 2020, access to Hurlburt Field will be restricted to mission essential personnel only and those individuals residing on, TDY to, or conducting official business on base. This restriction is due to the ongoing conditions caused by COVID-19 in an effort to minimize spread of the virus. Mission essential personnel comprise all uniformed service members and civil servants who have been designated by the appropriate authority to conduct military functions that must be continuously performed onsite to sustain minimum operational capabilities and continuity of the mission. Some examples include: Security Food Medical Communications Logistics Flying operations Maintenance Command and control And other critical operations functions Those designated as mission essential will be provided appropriate documentation that will be required upon base entry. If not designated in a mission essential status, access to Hurlburt Field will be restricted to individuals who reside in housing on Hurlburt Field, on TDY status to Hurlburt Field, or individuals conducting official business on the installation. This order is applicable to military members of the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard, civil servants in the Department of the Air Force, dependents of military members or civil servants, and contractors on Hurlburt Field. Observance of these restrictions on movement are mandatory.
3/31/2020- COVID-19 Cases Reported in Walton County 5:30 pm Positive Cases 18 Total Tests 127 Negative Tests 108
April 1 Governor Ron DeSantis announces he will issue Stay-at-Home order Governor Ron DeSantis announced in a briefing on Wednesday he plans to sign a Stay-at-Home order that excludes essential services. The order will go in effect at 12:01 a.m. April 3, and will last for until April 30. The order says businesses are encouraged to provide carry-out and delivery for orders placed online or by the phone. Essential activities were listed in the order include attending religious services, participating in recreational activity such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running, and swimming, and taking care of or assisting pets and loved ones. All essential activities must be done consistent with social distancing guidelines. The order says other essential activities may be added with the approval of the State Coordinating Officer. Read more.
Effective Friday, April 3rd at 12:01 am, Governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for the entire state of Florida until April 30th. What does that mean, and what are some of the dos and donts? Walton County Sheriff's Office has broken it down for you here:
SAFER AT HOME ORDER Today Governor DeSantis issued a Safer at Home Order that becomes effective Friday, April 3 at 12:01am. Listed below is a summary of what this Executive Order entails. To view the entire order visit: https://www.mypanhandle.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/88/2020/04/EO-20-91.pdf
Walton County Emergency Management April 1 Walton County Responds to Governor’s Executive Order 20-91 with Changes to Service This afternoon, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-91 which requires all persons in Florida to “limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.” The Executive Order incorporates by reference guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security and a Miami-Dade County Emergency Order, what is defined as essential services and essential activities. In order to comply with the Governor’s Executive Order, Walton County Local Government is taking following steps: - All county employees which are not deemed “essential” will work from home for the duration of the Executive Order - Limited TDC Beach Maintenance Staff will remain in service - The following employees are deemed “essential” and will continue to report to work: limited Public Works Road and Bridge Crews, limited Fleet Maintenance, limited Facilities Maintenance and Custodial Staff, North Walton Mosquito Control, Building Department Staff, County Probation, Landfill Staff, TDC Beach Code Enforcement; One (1) Purchasing Employee to receive shipments of essential supplies and one (1) courier to maintain essential communication - - The Landfill will be closed to the public; however, the Landfill will remain open for commercial activity All county recreational facilities will be closed to the public; while parks are closed, boat ramps will remain open - - The Planning Department will continue to accept permits online and will maintain contact with the public via email and telephone; however, the Planning Department will be closed to the public - The Building Department will remain open to the public to accept permit applications; however, the Building Department will prioritize essential permitting (i.e., residential permitting) as defined by the Executive Order - The EOC will continue to operate at Level 2 activation.
Are businesses that rent such things as kayaks, surfboards, golf carts and bicycles "essential" retail operations? I know of a few such businesses that are open today and probably will be open tomorrow after the order goes into effect.
Thank you for the PDF. I just read in section 3 that attending religious services is considered essential. I don't understand, as the very nature of a congregation means 'to congregate' which means to 'gather into a crowd or mass'. A pastor was just arrested in my home state of LA for having service. This confuses me. As a home owner in Blue Mtn, I cannot walk on my beach, yet I can attend a church service in an indoor building. Can someone help me see the logic and safety in this? I am not asking for trolls to respond with some smart remarks, as I am in earnest when I ask. Thank you SoWal.
Walton County BCC Votes to Close All Walton County Beaches April 2 2020 During their 4:00 pm Emergency BCC Meeting, the Walton County Board of County Commissioners voted to amend Emergency Ordinance 2020-08 to now close all Walton County Beaches. It shall be unlawful for any person to enter upon or remain on any beaches in Walton County.
April 2 2020 Based on the most recent Florida DOH Update, given at 6:00 pm CST, Walton County has one additional positive test and now has 19 positive cases. There have been a total of 145 tests in Walton County with 126 negatives and 0 pending. https://floridadisaster.org/globala...id-19-data---daily-report-2020-04-02-1715.pdf
I'm really confused. We're told that we're safer at home and many businesses have been forced to close, and many have chosen to close out of concern for the safety of their employees and customers, yet if you want to rent a golf cart, scooter, kayak, bicycle or other recreational items, just cruise on down to 30a and you can rent anything and hang out with others. I checked the websites of Butterfly Rentals in Seagrove Beach, and Peddlers in Seacrest and it appears that they're open for business. To ignore the well being of others is almost criminal but apparently they think they can make a few dollars. I applaud the responsible businesses who chose to close during this crisis.
The order states that going outside to exercise is still allowed, so perhaps those businesses are deemed essential. We’re not on total lockdown just yet. The order is new and I think we’re all still figuring out what it means, because it seems to leave quite a bit for interpretation. If it’s concerning to you, it might be best to ask the Sheriff’s office and they will be able to provide you with a clearer answer.
Golf carts are now more than ever a menace. There is no reason whatsoever that these things should be rented out right now. Covid carts is more like it.
What concerns me is that these rental businesses exist to serve people on vacation and they've all been asked to leave. And I don't think anybody is going to get any exercise driving a golf cart or riding a motor scooter. The big bike rental place in Seacrest sells beer and wine at the rental counter so it's a hot spot for locals and tourists. Not a very healthy environment when social distancing is the order of the day.
Moved some posts to the COVID-19 opinions and discussion thread - let's keep this one to updates, facts and related questions. https://sowal.com/forum/threads/covid19-opinion-and-discussion.99215/
Walton County Emergency Management Apr 4 Based on the most recent Florida DOH update, given at 10:00 am CST, Walton County has 2 additional positive tests and is now at 21 positive cases. There have been a total of 167 tests in Walton County with 146 negatives with 0 pending. https://floridadisaster.org/globala...id-19-data---daily-report-2020-04-04-0949.pdf
