Palm Beach County Operations Coronavirus Update
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
LATEST OPERATIONAL UPDATES FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY
PBC ORDERS, ACTIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Emergency Order 19: Vacation and Short-term Rentals
All vacation and short-term rentals previously suspended by the Governor's Executive Order 20-087, may re-open provided that the rentals are conducted in compliance with the provisions of Palm Beach County's Safety Plan for Opening Vacation and Short-term Rentals, as may be amended, available here.
Emergency Order 20: Extension of Facial Coverings Directive
Executive Order 2020-12 is hereby extended until 12:01 A.M. on September 22, 2020. The original order has been in place since June 24.
Click here to view Palm Beach County Emergency Orders
Palm Beach County has extended the COVID-19 State of Emergency until August 28.
*NEW* PALM BEACH COUNTY TESTING
Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Testing for Wednesday, 8-26-20:
The Health Care District’s C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics [brumbackclinics.org] are providing safe, in-person medical appointments and pharmacy services at eight clinic sites throughout Palm Beach County. Patients can call 561-642-1000 to schedule an appointment for either a telemedicine or inpatient visit.
Rapid Antigen Testing Site
Rapid antigen testing is now available at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. The site will be open Tuesday – Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for anyone 65 years of age or older, 5 to 18 years of age or anyone over 5 years old showing symptoms of COVID-19. Appointments are required. Registration can be done online at www.tourhealth.com or by calling (866) 416-6341. Online scheduling is preferred.
Florida Atlantic Testing Site in Boca Raton
The site tested 159 residents today. The testing site is located at the FAU Tech Runway on the north end of the FAU campus at 901 NW 35th Street, Boca Raton, 33431. Appointments are required for testing. To make an appointment, call American Medical Response at 1-800-209-7919 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Testing is available to anyone over the age of 12, with or without COVID-19 symptoms.
South County Civic Center Site in West Delray Beach
The site tested 85 residents today. The drive through testing site is located at the South County Civic Center located at 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach, FL 33446. Appointments are required for testing. To make an appointment, call American Medical Response at 1-800-209-7919 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Testing is available to anyone over the age of 12, with or without COVID-19 symptoms.
Wellington Community Center Testing
The Village of Wellington has partnered with Premier Family Health to provide FREE walk-up COVID-19 testing for all western communities’ residents age 12 and over. Health officials from Premier Family Health will conduct tests at the Wellington Community Center located at 12150 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington, 33414. Testing will be available daily by appointment, and is available for both symptomatic and asymptomatic residents. To make an appointment, call 561-753-2484.
Homebound Resident Testing
Residents eligible include homebound elderly or individuals with disabilities who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and cannot leave their homes to access one of the drive-up or walk-up test collection sites. Residents who believe they are eligible for the in-home testing option should call 561-712-6400 for a pre-qualifying assessment. The testing line is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
RESOURCES
UP-TO-DATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH COVID-19 DASHBOARD
To find the latest information about your specific zip code and other COVID-19 data, check out the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboard. Also find more health/COVID-19 information in multiple languages here.
*NEW* CARES Restart Business Grant Program OFFERED From Palm Beach County
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approved the CARES Restart Business Grants Program to accelerate the reopening of businesses hardest hit by COVID-19. The $60 million Business Restart Program uses a portion of the county’s $261 million allocation from the Federal CARES Act approved by Congress. The BCC has dedicated $50 million toward businesses with 25 or fewer employees and $10 million towards businesses with greater than 25 employees. The application period is now over but could reopen if grant dollars remain after the current applications are processed.
Below is the summary as of 4:00 PM Wednesday for the CARES DHES application process:
| Summary | Count |
| Total Applications Received | 4989 |
| Applications In Review | 5 |
| Applications Denied-Inaccurate, Ineligible | 2003 |
| Applications Approved | 13 |
| CARES Grant Issued by Checks | 2968 |
*NEW* COMMUNITY SERVICES RENT AND UTILITIES ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
On Sept. 1, 2020, the Palm Beach County Community Services Department (CSD) will temporarily suspend the acceptance of rental and utility applications to allow sufficient time to process applications currently in the queue. The county will reopen the application portal in October if funds are still available. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 31 in order to be processed.
Currently, more than 3,400 applications have been submitted for a total request of approximately $8 million. An additional 3,300 applications are in draft status. Individuals who have already submitted applications can check their status at www.pbcgov.com/clientservicessearch
To date, Palm Beach County has processed close to 1,000 rental and utility payments totaling over $1.4 million. The review process has been completed for an additional 360 payments totaling approximately $560,000. There are 620 applications currently pending due to missing documents, 320 have been denied, and 1,120 applications are under review.
Households seeking assistance can apply by visiting https://www.rentalassistancepbc.org rental and utility application portal will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2020.
YOUTH SERVICES AND EARLY LEARNING COALITION PROVIDE CHILD CARE SCHOLARSHIPS TO WORKING FAMILIES AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners will provide funding through its Youth Services Department to the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County to provide child care scholarships for qualifying families with school age children grades K-5 who may be participating in the School District of Palm Beach County’s distant learning curriculum. Monies are made available through the county’s CARES Act funding to meet the need of access to childcare services for those families affected by financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, visit https://www.elcpalmbeach.org.
PBC Youth Services Provides Free Mental Health Services to Glades Residents
Mental health services provided by Palm Beach County Youth Services Department’s Youth and Family Counseling (YFC) program are available at no charge for Palm Beach County residents in the Glades area with youth ages 0-22.
YFC’s community-focused services include assessments, family and individual therapy, parent education, school-based behavioral health services, and the “Real Talk” teen support group.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Telemental health services are offered in English, Spanish, French and Creole via Zoom Video. To schedule an appointment, please email YSD-YFC-WestAppt or call the YFC West County Office (Belle Glade) at (561) 922-1233.
For a full list of telemental health services provide by Palm Beach County Youth Services Department’s Residential Treatment and Family Counseling (RTFC) Division, please visit our website.
COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER PROGRAM - Collaborative with Community-based Agencies
The Palm Beach County Community Services Department (CSD) has launched the Community Health Worker (CHW) Program, which is aimed at helping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. CSD partnered with Caridad Center, Community Partners, FoundCare, Inc., Genesis Community Health, and Health Council of Southeast Florida to hire local residents who reflect similar racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the communities served. For more information about the program, contact Sonja Holbrook at (561) 355-4700 or SHolbroo@pbcgov.org.
COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPT. PROVIDES HELP FOR RESIDENTS FACING EVICTION
The Palm Beach County Community Services Department has contracted with the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc. and Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. to provide county residents with free legal representation and assistance in handling landlord/tenant matters and past due payments through the Rapid Response Eviction Assistance Project (RREAP). The program is part of the CARES Act COVID-19. Individuals facing eviction may call the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County’s Rapid Response Eviction Project at (561) 655-8944, ext. 328 or Florida Rural Legal Services at 1-888-582-3410.
PALM BEACH COUNTY CARES FOR HOUSING (Mortgage Assistance Program)
ELIGIBLE MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE:Funding will provide assistance to income eligible households who are at least one-month delinquent in their first mortgage and escrow payments (PITI), late fees, attorney's fees, condominium and homeowners' association payments, special assessments, and other mortgage associated costs related to COVID-19.
Palm Beach County Feeding Sites Interactive Map
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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.