Officials Fear Protests, Bar Reopenings Will Increase Coronavrus

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — An upsurge in positive coronavirus cases in Hillsborough County has officials worried about the impact of the recent protests and reopening of bars and nightclubs.

Under Gov. Ron DeSantis' phase two reopening plan, Tampa Bay's bars, pubs, nightclubs, bowling alleys, concert halls, playhouses, arcades, movie theaters, tattoo shops, tanning salons and massage parlors can reopen at 50 percent capacity starting Friday.

These businesses join restaurants, gyms, hair salons, barbershops and retail stores, which were permitted to reopen in May under DeSantis' phase one reopening plan.

During Thursday's Hillsborough County Policy Group meeting, Dr. Douglas Holt, director of the Hillsborough County office of the Florida Department of Health, said Hillsborough County may already be experiencing impacts from the phase one reopenings.

While the number of coronavirus deaths has gone down in the county, he's seeing an increase in cases among younger people as people resume their social lives.

This week, 32 percent of the 450 new positive cases were among people age 35 to 44, he said.

"It’s clear the numbers are going up," he said. "We just have to decide what we’re going to do about it. We need to watch this positive trend carefully, especially related to the events of last weekend (the protests concerning the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis).

A few weeks ago, he said, 40 percent of the cases were at long-term care facilities. Since then, employees and residents have been tested at 79 percent of the long-term care faciities in the county (nearly 6,000 staff members and 6,000 residents) and he expects to have 90 percent tested by next week.

With the additional testing and oversight of nursing homes and similar facilities, the rate of positive coronavirus tests has dropped to 20 percent.

"Now the age is dropping," he said. "The younger population is testing positive."

Graphic from Florida Department of Health

"I'm concerned," said County Commissioner Sandy Murman. "The last 14 days have been our highest. There are all these protests going on and those are like incubators for the virus. What's the trigger? When do we sound the alarm to the community that cases are going back up?"

The number of positive cases in the county has doubled in the past two weeks.

Holt said the increase in positive cases could be the result of more people getting tested for coronavirus. The trigger, he said, is the impact on hospitals. If hospitals start getting overwhelmed, he said the EPG should take action.

"You can't let your hospitals get overwhelmed," he said.

"I think we need to get strong messages out there because of the protests and the fact that we’re seeing younger ages," said Murman. "Not to alarm people but to educate. Yesterday was the highest day we ever had – almost 100 cases. Today it was 95. We can’t be complacent about it and hope it goes away."

County Commission Chairman Les Miller asked County Attorney Christine Beck if the EPG could enact stricter measures than those outlined by the governor in phase two that include allowing groups of up to 50 people to gather, up from restrictions of 10 people.

"Do we have an opportunity to put more stringent measures in place if we see an uptick?" he asked. "With Memorial Day and the civil unrest taking place with no social distancing, I can tell you right now I have a major, major concern, I really do."

"Good questions," said Murman. "A lot of these things are recommendations and I guess my thing is if he’s (the governor) suggesting groups of 50, are we going to enforce that, especially with an uptick in numbers?"

She said she was contact by a resident who complained that some social gathering places aren't abiding by the governor's restrictions.

"They’re going crazy. They’re not abiding by any rules," she said. "It’s so loose. What are we going to do? I’m very concerned about our numbers."

"This is something that is very frightening because the bars are the locations where everyone is in close proximity," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. Between the crowds and the loud music that forces people to move closer to be heard, she said the bars are "sort of the optimal location for this virus to spread."

Castor said, while police and code enforcement officers have done a good job of monitoring the restaurants in Tampa, there simply aren't enough people to enforce the rules at all the city's bars and pubs.

"It would be impossible to enforce (the restrictions of 50 percent capacity at bars and gatherings of 50 people or less)," Castor said. "We’re just going to have to keep an eye on those cases."'

Overman noted the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is the agency charged with enforcing the governor's orders but wanted to know if local law enforcement has the ability to do anything more than educate the public.

Beck said the EPG's orders have to be consistent with the governor's orders but the EPG can impose stricter regulations on business capacities and gatherings.

The EPG decided to watch the number of positive cases closely before taking further action. However, the policy group is urging residents to protect themselves as they hit the bars and the nightclubs this weekend.

The Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group include three county commissioners, the mayors from the cities of Plant City, Tampa and Temple Terrace, the sheriff and the chairman of the School Board. The next EPG meeting is scheduled Thursday, June 11 at 1:30 p.m.

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