We must all work together to delay the spread of COVID-19 before it’s too late

COVID-19 is out of control across Florida and unless we all work together quickly to stop its spread, we’ll lose friends and loved ones at an alarming rate.

Governor Ronde Santis You don’t have to worry about their health and you can continue to blame the spikes on young people hanging out in large groups. And we can continue to cite the increase in testing as part of the reason for the number of new cases exploding every day.

Frankly, I don’t care how he paints. Because the new COVID-19 case is rapidly spreading in the village and surrounding areas, and if we’re not all too careful, it could quickly become one. Virus of Florida hotspots.

If you don’t believe it, consider the following: Friday figures portrayed a devastating situation in three county areas – 7,936. 9 dead, 105 total 623 people needing hospitalization. Talking about the statewide numbers drew even worse pictures – 402,312 cases – 12,444 increase in 24 hours – 5,768 deaths And 23,225 people need some kind of hospital care.

Frankly, these numbers should scare your hell, especially when you’re considering it On June 3, when DeSantis announced that Florida would move to Phase 2 of his resumption plan, 58,764 COVID-19 cases have been reported statewide. Just 52 days later, about seven times as many cases were reported in Florida. If this path goes on, I don’t want to think about what will happen in the next 52 days.

Not surprisingly, the number of cases in the village and surrounding areas is also increasing rapidly. On Friday alone, Florida’s Friendsiest Hometown reported 13 patients, bringing the total to 340 across the mega-retirement community. 52 days ago, that number was only 77.

Communities just outside the village boundaries reported a total of 1,366 cases on Friday. Leesburg (588), Summerfield (179), Wildwood (149), Lady Lake (141), Oxford (66), Fruitland Park (64), Bellevue (155), Sumter County part of Lady Lake (24) And so on.

Sadly, at least two villagers Carol Lynch And Debbie Butler – Succumbed to the virus So did the two detention agents in Lake County. Multiple cases have been reported at Kelsey Villa. good result Close all three local village dental clinics, Rohan Recreation Center And that Wawa Mini Mart At the intersection of County Road 466 and US 301.

Four Publix employees tested positive for the virus. Positive result We brought thorough cleaning activities to the village charter school. And on Thursday we learned it Students will not return to the facility for the official start of the school year until at least August 19.

Surprisingly, but not surprisingly, the Governor does not seem to look at the increasing number of incidents in and around the village. I think it might have something to do with the cash in the campaign, but that’s another topic on another day.

Earlier this month, DeSantis held one of his many long press conferences at UF Health The Villages Hospital to talk about how well the villagers and community responded to the pandemic. It is true that some residents take it seriously, Apparently he wasn’t talking about those who didn’t come from the brass village.

Apparently, he was unaware of the large groups that saw them gathering across several areas restaurant bars, private parties, and various other places in the community. He didn’t seem to be informed about the line dancers, who often flock to the landing areas of Lake Sumter, and the thousands of people who have recently been crowded in two different locations on the same town square. Golf cart parade – Most of them did not wear masks and did not practice social distance.

Village developer Mr, it seems that someone talking about your number one political weakness didn’t let Desantis know about it Acting Sheriff County Sumter had to once patrol Lake Sumter landing In order to dismantle the gathering on the covered patio, it was necessary to finally rope it to keep the villagers away from them.

DeSantis was clearly unaware of the concerns of the villagers who reported that: Crowd in the bar area of ​​Amerikanos Grille, group Intimate dance of Spanish Springs in the Republic of Margarita, Maskless resident Gathered outside of Red Sauce to a large group to voice take-out orders and concerns Staff not masked in Lighthouse point bar & grill, Palmer Legends Country Club And Dunkin Donuts on County Road 466A.

Our governor also dragged our feet into encouraging residents to wear masks and totally refused to force them statewide – The bone of the conflict between him and Nicki Fried, the Agricultural Commissioner. He frequently appears to the public without a mask, especially early in the pandemic, and speaks little while wearing a mask.

as you know Many chain stores in The Village and the surrounding area have begun to require customers to wear face covers When they enter their business. We commend those decisions and sincerely hope that our customers take their obligations seriously and are required to comply with them.

Many local businesses and restaurant owners also take the pandemic seriously and will do everything possible to protect their employees and staff. We commend these efforts and encourage all business owners in the Tri County region to take the virus seriously.

However, you’re wondering what you can do with this COVID-19 nightmare, and perhaps it gets worse day by day. Of course, the best way to prevent a disease is to keep it from being exposed to the virus.

For starters, you can wear face coverings when you are in a public place, and you cannot practice social distance. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he believes that if people are disciplined about wearing masks, they can control the coronavirus outbreak in four to six weeks. So when you think about it, it’s really easy.

Here are some other very simple safeguards you can take:

• Please stay home as much as possible.
• Keep a safe distance (at least 6 feet) from others.
• Avoid congestion and avoid contact with sick people.
• Wash your hands often.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Cover your cough.
• Restrict travel;
• Clean and disinfect frequently- touched objects and surfaces.
• Do not touch eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Be aware of symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, fatigue, muscle and body pain, headache, loss of new taste and smell, sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. And
• If you think you have a virus, please call us in advance before going to the clinic.

We said this three weeks ago in an opinion about COVID-19, so I’ll say it again. It is now completely unclear if Floridian could control this deadly virus, at least until vaccination is available. Health officials believe that the spread could be delayed significantly if the local population only implemented the above measures.

But this is a big problem. To achieve that, commitment from Americans of all ages is required. There is no way around it, and until it happens, we are all literally at risk of catching a virus that has no basis for being infected or killed.