Escambia County COVID-19 Update #44

Updated at 5 p.m. April 9:
Please reference the prior updates and Escambia County COVID-19 Update #11 for a prior comprehensive running list. View an updated list of county closures and cancellations here. This update does not contain new information.

Greater Pensacola Chamber

• The Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce is excited to be partnering with BRACE and Hillcrest Baptist Church to offer a continuous site for medical supply donations. Donations can be made from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday at both Hillcrest Baptist Church Campuses, 800 E Nine Mile Road or 3960 Spanish Trail Road.
• Items being accepted: Respirator Masks N95 1860/1860s; Standard Face / Surgical Masks (Loop or Tie-on); Flexible Mini-Tip Flocked Swab-Nasopharyngeal; Full Length Face Shields; Isolation Gowns; Nitrile Medical Examination Gloves.
• We, at the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, are thankful for all our community and faith-based partners assisting us in responding to our community’s needs during this unprecedented time. This is another example that demonstrates we will get through this crisis – together. For more information please contact the Chamber’s Director of External Affairs, Sara Lefevers at 850.356.8735 or slefevers@pensacolachamber.com

Escambia County

• Statement about Nursing Home Facilities in Escambia County from Administrator Janice Gilley: We empathize with the families and friends who have loved ones in our nursing home facilities within the county and have concerns about their health and exposure. At this time, we have been advised by the Florida Department of Health that disclosure to the public regarding long-term care and nursing home facilities affected by COVID-19 remains in the hands of the state surgeon general.
  
  The county continues to work alongside the Florida Department of Health, the lead agency for a public health incident. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have communicated with them to release whatever information they can, but we also understand there are privacy laws in which they must follow. We strongly encourage nursing homes to work with the state surgeon general to publicly disclose if there have been positive COVID-19 cases in their facility in the Escambia county community. We believe it is in the public’s best interest for the facilities be as transparent as possible within the extent of the state and federal laws.
  

• District 3 Commissioner May will host a grab-and-go, drive-through Easter event for children on Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to noon at Legion Field, 1301 W. Gregory St.

Emerald Coast Utilities Authority 

• The ECUA Customer Service office, including the drive-thru payment area, will be closed on Friday, April 10, in observance of Good Friday. However, all ECUA business offices will be open and residential and commercial sanitation collections for ECUA customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties will be unaffected by the holiday and will be carried out as usual. Our Customer Service Department will re-open on Monday, April 13 at 8:30 am, with the exception of the walk-in area located at the ECUA Ellyson Industrial Park campus, which is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida Department of Health in Escambia County

• As of 5 p.m., April 9, Escambia County has had 192 positive COVID-19 cases. This number is expected to change daily due to the return of results from ongoing testing. For the most up-to-date information regarding confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida, visit the COVID-19 dashboard. The site is currently updated twice daily.
• Florida residents are encouraged to do their part in helping Florida flatten the curve by anonymously answering questions that range from age and residency, to recent travel, to potential COVID-19 contact. The StrongerThanC-19 community action survey is designed to gather information to help the Department track and slow the spread of COVID-19 in Florida; it is not a symptom checker designed to dispense medical advice. The StrongerThanC-19 community action survey is free to use and can be accessed by visiting: www.StrongerThanC19.com.