Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a series about those who are behind the masks fighting COVID-19.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will ease foreign travel restrictions to the U.S. beginning in November, allowing foreigners into the country if they have proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test, the White House said Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Downtown businesses in the U.S. and abroad once took for granted that nearby offices would provide a steady clientele looking for breakfast, lunch, everyday goods and services and last-minute gifts. As the resilient coronavirus keeps offices closed and workers at home, some a…
COVID-19 cases continue to drop in Florida, as the Florida Department of Health reported 75,906 new cases for the seven-day period of Sept. 10-16. That ended a seven-week run of at least 100,000 new cases per week. Hopefully the trend will continue.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just one month ago, President Joe Biden and his health advisers announced big plans to soon deliver a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine to all Americans. But after campaigning for the White House on a pledge to “follow the science,” Biden found himself uncharacteristi…
Editor’s note: This is the third of a series about those who are behind the masks fighting COVID-19.
TALLAHASSEE — As the delta variant of the coronavirus caused Florida to become a hotspot for COVID-19 in late July and August, the state’s nursing homes also felt the brunt.
Senior military representatives from dozens of countries gathered in Rhode Island Wednesday to talk about ways to address shared challenges, including combatting the coronavirus and ensuring service members are healthy.
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin entered self-isolation after people in his inner circle became infected with the coronavirus, the Kremlin said Tuesday, adding that the leader himself tested negative for COVID-19.
SEBRING — While the wearing of face masks continues to be voluntary in Highlands District Schools, School Board Attorney John McClure addressed the state’s ongoing school mask debate at a recent board meeting.
Editor’s note: This is the first of a series about those who are behind the masks fighting COVID-19.
Highlands County saw a reduction in its new COVID-19 cases, with the Florida Department of Health reporting 741 new cases for the seven-day period of Sept. 3-Sept. 9. While that’s still 106 new cases per day, it is better than the two previous weeks, which both saw more than 1,000 new cases.
TALLAHASSEE — Pointing to potential “irreparable harm,” attorneys for a group of parents argued Thursday night that school districts should be able to require students to wear masks while an appeals court weighs a challenge to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to prevent mask mandates.
TALLAHASSEE — A Leon County circuit judge on Wednesday again blocked Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order that seeks to bar school mask mandates, giving at least a temporary victory to parents challenging the order.
TALLAHASSEE — In a new front in the fight about mask mandates, three school boards are challenging a Florida Department of Health rule designed to prevent districts from requiring students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho public health leaders activated “crisis standards of care” for the state’s northern hospitals because there are more coronavirus patients than the institutions can handle.
Long car lines waiting for COVID-19 tests at clinics are a sign of the times. Although there are several places to get tested, they may not have appointments available for a couple of days. Some people have turned to at-home COVID tests.
President Joe Biden’s administration announced in August the possibility of COVID-19 booster shots beginning Sept. 20. The deadline is dependent upon approval from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TALLAHASSEE — Officials in rural areas of North Florida where two prisons have been temporarily shuttered are pleading with state leaders to ensure that the closures aren’t permanent, arguing that the institutions are a vital part of the local economy.
SEBRING — A School Board of Highlands County bus driver passed away recently due to COVID-19, according to district officials.
While COVID-19 numbers are dropping a bit throughout the state, the Heartland apparently didn’t get the message, as numbers remain high. Of the 11 counties in Florida to see more than 1,000 new cases per 100,000 population, four of them — Highlands, Hardee, Okeechobee and DeSoto — are right …
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The intensive care rooms at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center are full, each a blinking jungle of tubes, wires and mechanical breathing machines. The patients nestled inside are a lot alike: All unvaccinated, mostly middle-aged, paralyzed and sedated, reliant on life suppor…
TALLAHASSEE — An appeal filed Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration put on hold a Leon County circuit judge’s ruling against the state in a battle over school mask mandates – but attorneys for a group of parents quickly requested that the ruling be allowed to take effect.
MIAMI (AP) — Florida is reporting its deadliest peak in daily death rates since the start of the pandemic, surpassing previous coronavirus surges in the state, according to federal data published Thursday.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a nurse staffing crisis that is forcing many U.S. hospitals to pay top dollar to get the help they need to handle the crush of patients this summer.
TALLAHASSEE — As Florida schools opened their doors to students – some maskless – the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 has increased more than tenfold.
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State University is asking a federal judge to toss out a potential class-action lawsuit seeking refunds for students who were forced to learn remotely in spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — An annual celebration of debauchery and outrageous costumed parties in the Florida Keys is canceling its famous parade this year due to the state’s surge in COVID-19 cases, but events connected to the 42-year-old festival are still being held, according to planners.
TALLAHASSEE — A Leon County circuit judge Monday upheld a decision by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to cut off federal unemployment money for tens of thousands of Floridians in June, rejecting arguments that the move violated state law.
TALLAHASSEE — As a legal battle has played out in Tallahassee over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to prevent school mask mandates, attorneys for the state are trying to fend off a separate lawsuit alleging violations of federal laws designed to protect the rights of students with disabilities.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union plans to recommend that its member states reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infection levels in the country, EU diplomats said Monday.
From Walt Disney World and Chevron to CVS and a Michigan university, a flurry of private and public employers are requiring workers to get vaccinated after the federal government gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. And the number is certain to grow much higher.
TALLAHASSEE — Disney Cruise Line on Tuesday joined other lines that dock in Florida in planning to require COVID-19 vaccinations for most passengers ages 12 or older traveling to the Bahamas.
Delta Air Lines will charge employees on the company health plan $200 a month if they fail to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy the airline’s top executive says is necessary because the average hospital stay for the virus costs the airline $40,000.
NEW YORK (AP) — Half of American workers are in favor of vaccine requirements at their workplaces, according to a new poll, at a time when such mandates gain traction following the federal government’s full approval of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — School districts in Florida may impose mask mandates, a judge said Friday, ruling that Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order banning the mandates.
As COVID-19 cases dropped in the spring, the Florida Department of Health stopped its daily COVID updates on June 3. The Administration for Health Care Administration also took down its hospital data the same day. AHCA provided hospital bed and ICU bed information. Their daily reports also g…
SEBRING — A surge in COVID-19 cases has led to more than 800 students quarantined from Highlands District Schools, in a recent count, as the district scrambles to get replacements for employees who are out sick.
TALLAHASSEE — With a Leon County circuit judge expected to rule Friday, attorneys made closing arguments Thursday in a legal battle over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order that sought to block school districts from requiring students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEBRING — After previously approving a COVID sick leave policy that had been modified without union approval, the School Board of Highlands County approved a revised policy that was agreeable to both the district and unions.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Delivering another blow to what’s left of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s legacy, New York’s new governor acknowledged on her first day in office that the state has had nearly 12,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than Cuomo told the public.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Just over half of Florida’s 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms as a courtroom battle continues over efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis to leave such decisions up to parents.
TALLAHASSEE — Tourism leaders are focusing on the resurgence this year in the number of people visiting Florida, as the state continues grappling with a spike in COVID-19 cases.
TALLAHASSEE — As the delta variant of the coronavirus sweeps across the state and brings a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, managed-care plans that serve hundreds of thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries are offering incentives to get people vaccinated.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The coronavirus is disrupting more classrooms in Florida while lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis argue against school mask mandates in a Tallahassee courtroom. Three more school districts announced hearings Tuesday to discuss stricter mask policies to avoid more disru…
The American Civil Liberties Union, representing disability rights groups and parents of children with disabilities, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday over a South Carolina law that bans school districts from requiring face masks, arguing the ban excludes vulnerable students from public schools.
ATLANTA (AP) — A few weeks into the new school year, growing numbers of U.S. districts have halted in-person learning or switched to hybrid models because of rapidly mounting coronavirus infections.
People have very strong opinions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Whether it’s political reasons, misinformation or mistrust, many people have decided against the COVID vaccine, which medical experts say is the best defense against COVID. AdventHealth Sebring Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bindu Raju …
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s power struggle over wearing masks in school to guard against coronavirus infections landed Monday before a judge considering a lawsuit that challenges Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order reserving the mask decision for parents.
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans cut back on their spending last month as a surge in COVID-19 cases kept people away from stores.
Highlands County had 730 new COVID-19 cases in the seven-day period of August 13-19, according to Friday’s weekly COVID update released by the Florida Department of Health. That’s an increase of more than 100 from the 626 cases reported the previous week.
