PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: COVID-19 – YOUR WEDNESDAY UPDATE

Today is Wednesday, April 22, 2020 and we are in week six of the Village of Key Biscayne’s COVID-19 Response.

Earth Day

Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. While people around the world have been staying home in quarantine to stop the spread of this devastating virus, the natural world has had a chance to begin healing. Air and noise pollution have decreased. With fewer humans moving around, wildlife has returned to natural areas and even ventured into cities. As we reflect on what Earth Day is all about, we should take this opportunity to think about our impact on the planet. What can each of us do to pollute less? What actions can we all take to help Earth heal? We only have one planet Earth and we all must share the responsibility of sustaining our amazing home. Start becoming more earth-conscious today, by participating in the Earth Week Challenge, a call to action by the nonprofit organization Before It’s Too Late.

#EarthDay2020 #EarthWeekChallenge #KBSustainable #KBResilience #WeAreAllInThisTogether

We all want a quick end to this pandemic. We want our lives to return to normal, but we need to remember why that cannot happen yet. We have not yet reached the projected peak of this virus. The number of positive cases is still increasing daily in Miami-Dade County. The County Mayor and your Village government agree that it is too soon to re-open beaches and parks. Please be patient. Our beaches remain closed for your safety and the safety of all residents to minimize everyone’s potential contact with the virus. The more everyone complies with Emergency Orders, the sooner we can get back to the activities and places we love.

·         BEACHES ARE STILL CLOSED.

·         PARKS ARE STILL CLOSED.

Every day the Village of Key Biscayne Incident Command practices the same response priorities:

·         To exercise an abundance of caution to PROTECT our community: Our number one priority is to protect the health and safety of everyone in the Village of Key Biscayne.

·         To continue to COMMUNICATE Village-wide efforts at containing the spread of the virus: We strive to deliver updated information to maintain awareness and public readiness, and to combat misinformation.

·         To take necessary ACTION to keep the Village of Key Biscayne safe and healthy. Our primary goal is to encourage Village residents to engage in behavior that limits the spread of the virus.

Current Village of Key Biscayne COVID-19 Status

Village of Key Biscayne Cases as Percentage of the Population

COVID-19 Pilot Drive-Thru Testing Site

Please be aware the pilot drive-thru testing site has been suspended for the remainder of the week due to the limited availability of testing resources. Testing should resume next week, although it will only be available on Monday and Thursday. If your scheduled appointment has been impacted by this change in schedule and you have not been contacted to reschedule, please call our COVID-19 Call Center (305-365-8910) so that we may assist you in rescheduling your appointment.

If residents have COVID-19 related questions and wish to speak to someone, the Village of Key Biscayne COVID-19 Call Center (305-365-8910) is up and running Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cases on the Key

The data in the report may differ from data available on Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard. Data in their reports are provisional and subject to change. As of 5:00 p.m. today, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) report indicates 59 positive COVID-19 cases on the Key. We do not receive personal information about infected residents from the Department of Health.

We are aware that the number of positive cases has decreased by one, from 60 positive cases over the last few days to 59 reported today. We are working with FDOH to learn more about how these numbers are tallied and what lag time we are experiencing from test to report. Once we have clarification, we will share it with our residents.

Per data the Foundation provided to the Village, 392 residents have been tested since the launch of the pilot drive-thru testing site. An average of 60 residents are being tested each day.

To date, both the pilot mobile and drive-thru testing programs, have yielded seven (7) positive COVID-19 test results. The patients were notified by Firefighter Paramedics for the Mobile Testing Unit, and by BioCollections Worldwide, Inc. for the drive-thru testing site, respectively. The Village and Foundation are working on tailored communication materials to inform patients of best practice per the CDC and next steps to take. Additionally, per the guidance of the Foundation’s Medical Director for the drive-thru testing program, post-testing guidance will be more prescriptive to ensure trace tracking and follow-up testing.

Latest Updates:

Just in time for Earth Day, watch Episode 4 of “My Backyard” on the Village’s YouTube channel. To watch previous episodes click here.

All non-residents arriving on non-motorized vehicles are prohibited from entering the Village of Key Biscayne as of 12:01 a.m., Wednesday, April 22, 2020.

Minority communities like that of our Sister City are disproportionally affected by this pandemic. Chief Press, in partnership with Brother Soul Films, distributed food and other critical supplies to over 100 people in Liberty City as part of the Chief Press Foundation’s relief efforts. All goods were received from a handful of Key Biscayne residents who donated the products and provided funds for Winn-Dixie gift cards. In the worst of times we must remember those in the most dire of circumstances. Our commitment to our Sister City of Liberty City must continue to be their shining star.

We are providing the above guidance specifically for condominiums, apartments, and multi-family dwellings. These are the rules we are all living by at this time, but it may be harder to know how to apply them in a non-single-family-home setting. This guide aims to assist everyone in complying with the Emergency Orders.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools: Online through June 3

Governor DeSantis has declared that Florida public schools will remain online through June 3, 2020, effectively for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Meal Distribution

Meal distribution beginning the week of April 20, 2020 will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4 pm to 7 pm. Grab and Go Meals are available at any of the distribution sites on this list: M-DCPS Meal Distribution List.

Youth Project Key Biscayne

MAST Academy sophomore Victoria Zang has launched a community engagement initiative to encourage young people to wear masks as the new normal. Kids and teens can follow these steps to participate:

1.     Create a flyer communicating the importance of wearing a mask using a creative drawing, picture, or graphic design.

2.     Add a message such as, “Protect your face and your community.”

3.     Include the hashtag #MasksForChange.

4.     Submit your design along with your full name and a picture of yourself wearing a mask to info@YouthLeadkb.org by April 24th, 2020.

Click here for all the details. For more information email MasksForChange@gmail.com.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have answers to your frequently asked questions available on the Village website. This webpage will be updated with new FAQs as we continue to work on answering your COVID-19-related questions.

Communications: How can I receive notifications and updates? 

Sign up at the links below:

·         Village Emergency Alert Notifications: (Everbridge) Opt to receive a text notification, from the Village Information and Notification System, with public safety or traffic alerts and information of special interest to the community.

·         Village Connect: (Constant Contact) Receive Village PSA emails from the Manager’s Office with traffic/construction alerts, public notices, special events/meetings and information of special interest to the community.

If you would like to share this update, a link is available upon request. Send an email to response@keybiscayne.fl.gov with the subject: Link.

If you are outside of your home, we encourage you to wear a facial covering. If you are entering an Essential Business you must wear a facial covering while inside.

The Village Manager executed Emergency Order 20-6 effective 8:00 a.m. Monday, April 13, 2020, in effect through Sunday, May 3, 2020.

Emergency Order 20-6 Mandates facial covering for employees and customers at all times while inside Essential Businesses.

Emergency Order 20-6 Encourages facial covering for all persons that are outside of their homes.

·         View the current CDC guidelines about the proper use of facial coverings and learn how to make your own.

Remember, the general public should not acquire or utilize N95 or equivalent/higher rated masks, as those are critical supplies for health care workers, police, fire, emergency management, or other persons engaged in life/safety activities.

Miami-Dade County Emergency Order 20-20

Effective April 9, 2020, persons working in or visiting grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, construction sites, public transit vehicles, vehicles for hire, and locations where social distancing measures are not possible shall wear facial coverings as defined by the CDC.

Village of Key Biscayne Department Updates:

Office of the Village Manager:

Welcome Dr. Roland Samimy

We are pleased to announce the recruitment of the Village’s very first Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer. Dr. Roland Samimy is a coastal systems and water resources scientist with a Ph.D. in Coastal Systems Science, an M.S. in Water Resources Engineering and an M.A. in Environmental Policy. He has held the position of Senior Scientist – Water Resources Technical Manager with Atkins North America (Miami Office) while also maintaining his 17-year long professional association with the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth where he continues to hold the position of Senior Research Manager for the Coastal Systems Program within the Department of Estuarine and Ocean Science. We are excited to propel much of our resilience and sustainability work to a new height with Dr. Samimy on board. #KBResilience

Key Biscayne Police Department:

See Something, Say Something

Public safety is one of the core pillars of our community. We encourage you to join the Village in our efforts to keep Key Biscayners home and safe #KBStayHome. If you see someone not practicing social distance, please report it to KBPD by calling (305) 365-5555. Failure to follow Emergency Orders puts us all at greater risk. #ItTakesAVillage

Building, Planning and Zoning/Public Works Department:

Permit Applications Allowed

The Village of Key Biscayne’s Building, Zoning and Planning Department will be allowing new permit applications for emergency repairs. To learn how the Department is currently operating and to learn more about new permits being issued at this time click here. To open the Building Application Permit form click here.

·         Applications (with licenses/insurance) along with plan in .pdf form should be emailed to onlinepermits@keybiscayne.fl.gov.

·         Payments can be accepted over the phone. Permit Clerk will contact customer when ready to obtain credit card information.

Building Code Inspections

There are new procedures for Building Code inspections to be used during the COVID-19 Emergency Period. Inspections can now be requested at inspections@keybiscayne.fl.gov. Inspections may be performed by qualified professionals, or by the appropriate Village inspector virtually or on-site. Inspection requests must include a permit number, contact name and phone number.

Connecting to Sanitary Sewer

The Department of Environmental Resources (DERM) is intending to grant an extension to the deadline to abandon septic and connect to sanitary sewer. DERM is still determining how long the deadline should be extended. We will let residents know what their determination is for the extended deadline when that information becomes available.

Water Restrictions

Did you know that Miami-Dade County has permanent water restrictions? Click here to view the guidelines.

Key Biscayne Community Foundation: https://www.kbcf.org/covid19-resources/

Key Biscayne Chamber of Commerce: https://www.keybiscaynechamber.org/

Website Resources:

View all response updates and other information on the Village of Key Biscayne website:

·         COVID-19 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

·         ALL VILLAGE NEWS FOR COVID-19

·         COVID-19 EXECUTIVE and EMERGENCY ORDERS

·         COVID-19 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

·         VILLAGE VIDEOS FOR COVID-19

·         COVID-19 LINKS TO UPDATES FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES

Have a great Earth Week!

-Your Village of Key Biscayne