*New*
VIDEO UPDATE: A REMINDER FROM SHERIFF RIC BRADSHAW
The Palm Beach County Sheriff addresses the Governor's statewide Stay-at-Home Order, which goes into effect Friday.
LATEST OPERATIONAL UPDATES FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY:
PBC ORDERS, ACTIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
*New* During the third day of drive-thru testing for COVID-19 in Palm Beach County, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County's C. L. Brumback Primary Clinics tested 381 patients at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach. There were 35 patients who did not show for their scheduled appointments. The average age of the patients tested was 49. Thirteen children were tested and the youngest patient was two years old. Test results could take five to six days although the lab has targeted 72 hours. A provider will contact each patient by phone with test results regardless if the result is positive or negative.
The Health Care District's COVID-19 Screening Center received over 76,000 calls in the first hour this morning, representing over 1,100 unique callers. During that time, representatives scheduled nearly 850 appointments for COVID-19 drive-thru testing for Saturday. Representatives screened callers for symptoms per CDC criteria. The hotline, 561-642-1000, will reopen tomorrow at 8 a.m. and will stay open for as long as it takes to schedule approximately 500 appointments for Monday, April 6th, 2020. At that point, the remainder of the test kits will be assigned and scheduling won’t resume until additional test kits are received.
The drive-thru test site will expand and use all four lanes on Saturday. The testing site will be closed Sunday as our teams prepare for next week. The Health Care District's C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics' staff conducting the testing, along with on-site Palm Beach County staff and members of the Florida Army National Guard, thank patients for the signs of appreciation that they are posting in their car windows.
*New*EO 20-92: Essential Services and Activities During COVID-19 Emergency
This order supersedes any conflicting actions or orders enacted by Local Officials.
EO 20-91: Essential Services and Activities During COVID-19 Emergency
The Governor has issued a statewide stay-at-home order, requiring everyone to limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities. This order goes into effect on April 3rd at 12:01 am and will remain in effect for the next 30 days.
EO 20-90: Broward and Palm Beach County Closures
Extends Executive Order# 20-70 to keep all beaches in Palm Beach County and Broward County closed through the end of the State of Emergency.
*New*
PARTNERING AGENCIES
The Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County is offering a limited number of child care scholarships for those serving on the front-line of the COVID-19 response. This is available for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old for up to 60 days for these critical employees. For more information, call the Family Resource Line: 561-514-3300
*New*
ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL
In an effort to keep people and pets at home, provide additional protection and minimize exposure to the public and employees, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control has stopped curbside vaccine service. Late fees for vaccines and/or tags will be waived during this time. Residents are urged to keep pets safe from rabies by keeping pets indoors and monitoring pets even in fenced yards.
STATE PROGRAMS
*New* Veterans who are concerned they may have symptoms of COVID-19, flu or cold should
contact the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center at 1-877-741-3400 before coming to a VA facility.
Visitor access to State Veterans' Homes has been restricted until further notice, with the exception of
essential visitors, such as family members of those residents undergoing end-of-life care. Additionally,
admissions for state veterans' homes have been temporarily suspended.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED
LIBRARIES
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Technology Assistance
The Palm Beach County Library System is offering one-on-one chat with a librarian. They can assist with any of your technology needs, including navigating the virtual classroom. Video chat sessions are available through the Zoom app. Call 561-233-2600 to book an appointment. -
Homework Help
Tutor.com and Live Homework help is a free library service that offers online tutoring in math, science, social studies and language arts. Live one-on-one sessions are available every day from 12:00 pm – 12:00 am. Assistance in Spanish is available from 2:00 pm – 12:00 am. -
Career Development
The Library has many free online resources to help you advance your career during the "Safer at Home" order. You can learn new skills, update your resume, and utilize programs to prepare you to return to the workforce. -
Free E-Card
Get a free temporary e-card for any child in Palm Beach County. The card allows you to access online resources and services. Visit
http://www.pbclibrary.org/virtual-library to sign up for the e-card.
SCHOOL INFORMATION
- The Palm Beach County School District announced that Palm Beach County schools will remain closed until further notice. Distance Learning will continue.
- Please be sure to check the
full list of food distribution locations as some have changed.
- Schools across Palm Beach County will be distributing 'Grab and Go' bags.
- Hours for Food distribution will be from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
PALM BEACH COUNTY BUILDING DIVISION
- The Palm Beach County Building Division's South County Permitting Office is closed until further notice.
- The majority of permit types that were previously submitted in the South County office are now able to be submitted via our online system
ePZB Admin login, and more permit types are being added to the system frequently.
- Visit our website for more information:
Online Submittal Building Permit Notice.
SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY
Garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulk waste collection are operating as scheduled.
The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County has developed a COVID-19 website
swa.us3.list-manage.com where impacts to solid waste services and programs are outlined.
Home Chemical and Recycling Centers (HCRC)
Home Chemical and Recycling Centers will remain open for crucial customer needs only. They are:
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West Palm Beach Home Chemical and Recycling Center
6161 N. Jog Road in West Palm Beach
Monday - Friday: 7 am - 5 pm.
Saturday: 7 am – 5 pm. -
Delray Beach – West
Southwest County Transfer Station
13400 S. State Road 7 in Delray Beach
Monday - Friday: 7 am - 5 pm.
Saturday: 7 am. - 3 pm.
PLANNING, ZONING & BUILDING
All Planning, Zoning, and Building public meetings for April are canceled. All public hearings scheduled at those meetings are postponed to dates to be determined. Once revised dates have been determined, the meetings will be rescheduled and all appropriate parties will be advised.
LOCAL CALL CENTERS
Palm Beach County Emergency Information Center remains open 7 days a week
from 8 am – 6 pm. 561-712-6400
- Boca Raton 561-982-4900
- Greenacres 561-642-2000
- Town of Palm Beach 561-227-7070
- Riviera Beach 561-812-6597
- Wellington 561-791-4000
- West Palm Beach 561-822-222
Or contact your municipality.
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Suicide Prevention and Covid-19: For resources to help cope during the coronavirus pandemic please follow this link:
Suicide Prevention and Covid-19.
TRANSPORTATION
Palm Tran fixed route continues to operate on a Saturday schedule except routes 1, 2, 3, 43
and 62 which are on a regular weekday schedule. Sundays will continue to operate on a Sunday schedule. The number of people on board has been limited to no more than 20 passengers. Check the head sign which may indicate the bus is full. In this case you'll need to wait for the next bus on the route. Call customer service at (561) 841-4BUS (4287) for the next scheduled bus arrival time. Palm Tran Connection is essential trips only.
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TRI-RAIL
Trains have suspended fares and are operating on a modified schedule:
18 trains on Weekdays, 12 trains on Saturday, 12 trains on Sunday. -
BRIGHTLINE
Brightline train service is suspended until further notice.
PARKS & RECREATION
All parks and golf courses, both public and private remain closed until further notice.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
All Natural Areas are closed to the public until further notice.
RUMOR CONTROL
EIC Frequently Asked Questions and Order locations
*New*
COVID-19 Email Scams
Security experts say a spike in email scams linked to coronavirus is the worst they have seen in years. Below are five trending campaigns:
- 1. Click here for a cure: The email is purported to be from a doctor claiming to have details about a vaccine being covered up by the Chinese and UK governments. Those who click on the attached document are taken to a spoof webpage designed to harvest login details.
- 2. Covid-19 tax refund: This emails asks you to click on "access your funds now", which goes to a fake government webpage encouraging you to input your financial and tax information.
- 3. Little measure that saves: Hackers pretending to represent the World Health Organization (WHO) claim that attached document details how recipients can prevent the disease's spread. But the attachment doesn't contain any useful advice and instead infects computers with malicious software. To avoid this scam, be cautious of emails claiming to be from WHO, as they are probably fake.
- 4. The virus is now airborne: The subject line reads: Covid-19 – now airborne, increased community transmission. It is designed to look like it's from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It uses one of the organization's legitimate email addresses but has in fact been sent via spoofing tool.
- 5. Donate here to help the fight: The fake CDC email asks for donations to develop a vaccine, and requests payments are made in the cryptocurrency bitcoin. The email address and signature look convincing.
The best way to see where a link will take you is to hover your mouse cursor over it to reveal the true web address. If it looks suspicious, don't click.
Rent Assistance
- Residents concerned with rent assistance may contact the Palm Beach County Human Services Eviction Prevention Program. Call 561-904-7900 or apply online at
www.pbcgov.org/oscarss.
- You can apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) at any lending institution that is approved to participate in the program through the existing U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) lending
program and additional lenders approved by the Department of Treasury. You are eligible for a loan if you are a small business that employs 500 employees or fewer, or if your business is in an industry that has an employee-based size standard through SBA that is higher than 500 employees. For more information go to:
Paycheck Protection Program
If your employment has been impacted by COVID-19, you may file a Reemployment Assistance Claim through CONNECT, Florida's online Reemployment Assistance System
http://floridajobs.org/.
- To help families keep their pets in their homes, Peggy Adams started a pet food pantry. For more information about how to get food for your pet, visit the Peggy's Pantry website or email
peggyspantry@peggyadams.org.
Who do I contact if I'm having symptoms?
- Contact your primary doctor. If they are unable to provide you with a COVID-19 test, ask them for instruction on how to self-isolate at home.
What if I don't have a Doctor? - You can contact any urgent care center, or the county primary care clinics.
How long does it take to receive test results for COVID-19?
- Testing results will be reported to the Health Care District of Palm Beach County who will notify the patient. Results can be expected within 2-3 days, however, it may take longer.
- Individuals testing positive will be advised of isolation and quarantine protocols and referred for medical care if necessary.
For the latest information about COVID-19 in Florida, visit
floridahealthcovid19.gov or call the Florida Department of Health 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-866-779-6121.
Follow us:
Twitter -
http://twitter.com/pbcgov
Facebook -
http://facebook.com/pbcgov
NextDoor -
https://nextdoor.com
Individuals with questions related to the coronavirus should call the Florida Department of Health's Coronavirus Call Center at 1-866-779-6121 which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week or email
mailto:COVID-19@flhealth.gov. They can also visit
http://pbchd.org for the latest health information. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Coronavirus COVID-19
For the latest information and updates from Palm Beach County, visit
http://pbcgov.com/coronavirus.