News Update for 7/7/20

Numbers released this morning by the Florida Department of Health show Highlands County has registered 30 new positive cases of the Coronavirus and 44 negative test results. The current report shows 10,062 tests have been done locally – of those, 9,611 have been negative with 435 positive cases.
The severity of those positive cases remains unknown. Florida Department of Health officials will reveal only that 74 people have been hospitalized locally at some point in their illness. Since numbers started being kept, 12 fatalities in Highlands have been tied to the Coronavirus.

Highlands County commissioners got an update on the so-called “CARES” Act when they met this morning in regular session. The county is in line for a $4.6 million dollar initial payment with a subsequent payment of $13.8 million dollar influx.
Commissioners worked on ways to disburse the money to individuals and businesses and parameters for such payments. They called the exercise a “fluid situation.” Apparently, they will use the same kinds of application processes that Polk County has put in place.

Highlands County commissioner Don Elwell will hold his 20th, and possibly final, town hall meeting tonight at South Florida State College. Due to Coronavirus concerns and suggested distancing, 400 chairs have been marked off for the event in the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts.
The college also is mandating that masks be worn for anyone planning to attend the event.
Among other things, Elwell will discuss the upcoming budget, money coming from the CARES Act and other community concerns. That will be held this evening beginning at 5:15pm.

Another casualty of the Coronavirus. The Vet Jam End of SummerFest has been pushed back to September. The event, featuring music, food a poker run and other entertainment was to have been held this coming weekend.
Meanwhile, The Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring will be held next weekend with limited attendance, masks and fan distancing guidelines.