Bay County Issues Updates on COVID-19
Panama City, Florida — Bay County is responding to COVID-19. In an effort to keep Bay County residents and visitors safe and aware regarding the status of the virus, the Bay County Joint Information Center will issue daily updates. The Florida Department of Health has launched a COVID-19 dashboard that will be updated twice daily. Today, as of 5 p.m., there are no cases of COVID-19 in Bay County.
The Florida Department of Health in Bay County (DOH-Bay), is urging residents to stop the spread. If you are having symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing) and you believe you have been exposed to the virus, call ahead to your health care provider and DOH-Bay at 850-872-4455. Your health care provider and DOH-Bay will screen to see if you meet Centers for Disease Control testing criteria. Persons who meet the criteria will be given directions on where, when, and how they will be tested. Call ahead to the emergency room if you are having an emergency related to COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, and difficulty breathing) and you believe you have been exposed to virus. Calling ahead will prevent potential exposure to others.
To date as of 5 p.m. on March 18, 2020, 6 Bay County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Four results are negative. Two are pending. More information on a case-by-case basis can also be found here.
For more detail on Florida resident cases, please visit the live DOH Dashboard here.
* Florida residents that are diagnosed with COVID-19 and isolated out of state are not reflected on the Florida map.
**Total cases overview includes positive cases in Florida residents and non-Florida residents tested in Florida.
Actions taken to respond to COVID-19:
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN BAY COUNTY
• Today, DOH-Bay sent a letter to providers encouraging them to let us know if they would like to provide testing and if so to complete resource requests that will be sent to the State.
• Today, DOH-Bay sent a letter providing guidance and information for employers and businesses to the Bay County Chamber of Commerce and Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce for distribution.
• Today, DOH-Bay’s administrator/health officer, Sandon S. Speedling, MHS, CPM, CPH, presented to the Panama City Commission.
• DOH-Bay’s Children’s Dentistry Clinic is taking emergency appointments only and will be unable to provide elective procedures for the next three weeks.
• DOH-Bay’s WIC service is now able to complete nutrition education through the phone and automatically push benefits, unless you need a recertification. The WIC clinic in Southport is closed until further notice.
• HIV evening testing is canceled until further notice. Testing during regular hours will continue.
• WIC’s breastfeeding classes are canceled until further notice.
• All DOH-Bay events are cancelled until further notice including the March to Health 5K originally scheduled for March 28.
• DOH-Bay has established an Incident Management Team to coordinate response operations.
• Yesterday, DOH-Bay’s administrator/health officer, Sandon S. Speedling, MHS, CPM, CPH, presented to the Bay County Commission and Panama City Beach Commission.
BAY COUNTY
• The Bay County Board of County Commissioners convened yesterday for their regular meeting. The Commission voted 5-0 to declare a state of emergency for Bay County as part of our response to COVID-19. The County’s declaration allows us to access resources at the State and Federal level to support our community needs as well as more quickly fathering needed emergency supplies from vendors as we deal with this ongoing health crisis.
• Facilitated meetings with municipalities within the county and Emergency Management officials to ensure continued coordination.
• All Northwest Regional Library System locations are open at this time. No library programs or storytimes through April 15. Some previously scheduled programs are being scheduled for a later date.
• Suspended group programming and events at the Cooperative Extension Office.
• Providing free transit passes to students and their caregivers to Bay District Schools feeding locations throughout the county.
• Suspended utility disconnections and late payment fees.
• Suspended cancellation of commercial accounts at the landfill.
• Encouraging online or dropbox payment of utility bills.
BAY DISTRICT SCHOOLS
• All schools are closed through April 15 per Governor DeSantis. FAQs are available on Bay District’s Facebook page. FSA/EOC testing is suspended for the rest of the year. BDS will be deploying distance learning programs beginning March 30. Please make sure you have an active email address uploaded to your child’s Parent Portal account.
• Mercy Chef’s Beacon of Hope is offering free “to go” dinners at Oscar Patterson Elementary School from 4:30 – 7 pm through March 21.
• Meal service will be available beginning March 23 for school-aged children. Children can access three pre-packaged meals per day, served to go only. Kids ride free on the trolley. Please see Bay District’s Facebook page for details.
BAY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
• Sheriff Ford has enacted several procedural changes to protect employees and inmates from the spread of COVID-19. All other law enforcement agencies in Bay County that may bring individuals to the Jail for booking have be…en made aware of these changes and are fully cooperating. All volunteer programs have been suspended. Visitation is continuing due to the fact that it occurs via video with no inmate contact. Employees receive a health screening upon coming to work at the jail. Incoming inmates will also be screened. High risk inmates will be segregated from the general population for their safety.
• The Bay County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating with other local agencies to ensure the safety of Bay County citizens and first responders. Sheriff Ford has taken steps to keep deputies safe as they continue to respond to calls for service by providing equipment they need such as gloves and masks.
• Sheriff Ford has also been in communication daily with Command Staff concerning the latest information about COVID-19 to keep all employees informed.
• BCSO telecommunicators have b…een given an additional list of questions to ask if there is a call for assistance involving a sick person, or a request for a Welfare Check on someone who has been ill, lives alone, and is not answering their door or phone. These questions will help deputies and EMS understand what situation they may face as they go to help.
• Deputies also are aware of the orders outlined in Governor Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order Number 20-68 and will be enforcing these changes. Please take the time to read the Executive Order below and rest assured that everyone at the Bay County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to keeping you and your family safe every day.
GULF COAST REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
• Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center is not a COVID-19 testing site. The hospital will swab patients who meet testing criteria and send samples to a lab for processing.
ASCENSION SACRED HEART BAY
• Effective today, we are only allowing one visitor per patient in the building at a time. Family members or visitors can decide to rotate as they see fit, but only one in the building at a time.
• We have restricted entry for all patients and visitors to enter in and out of the Emergency Department entrance only. Staff and contractors enter in through the rear of the building or through our south tower entrance. This is so that proper screening can take place for everyone, including staff, who are screened daily upon entrance to the building.
• The cafeteria is no longer open to visitors unless they are here to see a patient.
• Ascension Sacred Heart Bay is not a COVID-19 testing site. The hospital will swab patients who meet testing criteria and send samples to a lab for processing.
CITY OF PANAMA CITY
• Declared a State of Emergency for the City of Panama City on March 18, 2020.
• Suspended all publicly-permitted events, facility reservations, sports and arts programming and informational meetings through at least April 15, 2020. Outdoor areas of the City’s parks are currently open.
• City Hall is open and all services are available; however, in an effort to protect the health of citizens and city team members, the City encourages residents to practice social distancing and utilize online resources, telephones and drop-boxes when possible.
CITY OF PANAMA CITY BEACH
• Prohibited all public gatherings at City facilities/property with more than 10 people until May 1.
• Canceled City recreational sports leagues, tournaments, organized team practices, and special events until May 1.
• Closed Frank Brown Park Community Center and Lyndell Center for the next 60 days.
• Encouraged all public places/businesses/restaurants/retails stores to have alcohol-based hand sanitizer at their entrances.
• Encouraged citizens to utilize online or telephone services to conduct business with the City.
• Recommended restaurant patrons to keep a six-foot distance and limit occupancy to 50 percent, per Governor DeSantis.
• Prohibited the public from congregating in groups larger than 10 on the beach, per Governor DeSantis.
• Close all bars and nightclubs for 30 days per Governor DeSantis.
• Encouraged limiting public interaction with City services employees in: Utility billing, Code Enforcement, HR, Civil Service, building inspection, routine police, and fire contact.
• There will be no involuntary water utility shutoff and late payment delinquency action for 60 days.
• Beginning tonight, signage will begin going up at all City Beach Access Points. The signs read: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. No congregating in groups larger than 10 and maintain a six-foot social distance from other parties.
More Information on COVID-19
To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, please visit the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 website. For information and advisories from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), please visit the CDC COVID-19 website. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, please visit the travel advisory website.
For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, please contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling (866) 779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
What you Should Know
COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when an individual coughs or sneezes. These droplets may land on objects and surfaces. Other people may contract COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days following exposure. Most people recover from COVID-19 without needing special treatment. The elderly and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes are more likely to develop serious illness.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. The Department recommends everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick;
• Staying home when you are sick and avoiding contact with persons in poor health;
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands;
• Covering your cough or sneezing into a tissue, then disposing of the tissue;
• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing;
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty; and
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
The CDC does not recommend that asymptomatic, healthy people wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
A person that experiences a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, within 14 days after travel from any other destination with community transmission should call ahead to their health care provider and local CHD and mention their recent travel or close contact.
If a person has had close contact with someone showing these symptoms who has recently traveled from this area or been in contact with a person with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, he or she should call ahead to a health care professional and the CHD. The health care provider will work with the Department to determine if the person should be tested for COVID-19.
