Editor's note: Curry announced later on April 15 the limited opening of the beaches. Read that story here
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said he will announce an advisory council next week to help city officials ease COVID-19 restrictions, and local leaders are considering a partial reopening of Duval County beaches.
Curry said in his April 16 virtual media briefing the council will advise City Hall on public health issues, including testing and moving up neighborhood-specific infrastructure projects in the city’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan that “get people back to work.”
Curry said he will finalize the panel over the weekend or early next week.
“I want folks from the business community who have the experience leading organizations and can help talk to me about the kinds of things the city can do in terms of regulatory environment or fees that people pay, so we can provide the relief that we need to get the city back to work in a way that is safe,” Curry said.
The panel would function similar to the group of local health care professionals advising Curry on the pandemic.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans for a statewide advisory council April 16 to reopen Florida. DeSantis said the panel members could be named by the end of the week.
Flattening the curve
Curry said data could be showing Duval County has reached its peak COVID-19 hospitalization rate allowing some executive order restrictions to be scaled back.
As of 11 a.m. April 16, the Florida Department of Health reports Duval County with 769 positive tests for COVID-19, 67 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.
Of people tested for the virus in Duval County, an average of 5.3% have been positive, Curry said. That percentage has held steady for several weeks and is below the average for other major metropolitan areas in Florida and the U.S., the mayor said.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine COVID-19 dashboard shows 22,511 cases statewide and 596 confirmed deaths in Florida from the virus.
Beaches and parks
Curry said he has been in contact as recently as April 16 with mayors of the Beaches communities to discuss a limited reopening of beaches and parks for exercise, although no date for that has been set.
“My team and I continue to monitor the information and our executive orders every single day to decide whether further action is needed or whether it’s time to start to scale things back,” Curry said.
Duval County beaches closed indefinitely March 20 in a joint decision from Curry and Beaches mayors. Jacksonville’s city parks closed March 13 as part of Curry’s executive order shutting down city event venues.
“For now, they remain closed. but this is something we are continuing to discuss today and through the weekend,” Curry said. “Now that we appear to have flattened the curve, how can we responsibly provide some access for exercise and movement and the ability to social distance on our beaches and in our parks sooner rather than later.”
Cancellations, like the May 21-24 Jacksonville Jazz Festival, will stand, Curry said. He added that he does not see large concerts or events resuming in May.
“It’s still not advisable now,” he said.
