It’s Monday, August 31st - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - It’s back to school for parents, students and teachers in Miami-Dade County, but with the coronavirus pandemic forcing children to log in instead of walk in to class, it’s anything but back to normal.
Miami-Dade public schools are scheduled to have their first day of classes on Monday and some parents and students are still scrambling to adjust to the new virtual classes. The school district is confident in the new virtual system but reminds everyone the first week of school is dedicated to helping children transition to online learning and won’t be solely focused on academics. On September 30th, a reassessment of COVID conditions is set to take place.
No. 2 - Starting Monday, tables inside Miami-Dade restaurants will no longer be empty, following months of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, county Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed an emergency order allowing restaurants to allow indoor dining at 50% capacity. Under the new rules, a maximum of six people are allowed per table. Restaurants must also leave their doors open and run their A/C and ventilation systems with fans on. Gimenez said that the county's 10 p.m. curfew wont be pushed back for now, but they will look at possibly pushing it back after Labor Day weekend.
No. 3 - Florida reported more than 2,500 new COVID-19 cases and another 14 virus-related deaths Sunday, while positivity rates throughout the state continued to show signs of stability.
The 2,583 new coronavirus cases pushed the state's total to 621,586, according to the report released Sunday by the Florida Department of Health. Virus-related deaths among Florida residents rose to 11,119, the smallest increase the state has seen since June. Many deaths reported by the state happened days or weeks earlier, as it takes time to confirm causes of death.
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No. 4 - Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup between the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and fifth-seeded Miami Heat is Monday night in Orlando.
The Bucks are trying to return to the East finals for the second straight season. Miami is trying to get there for the first time since 2014. Milwaukee needed five games to dispatch Orlando in a series that ended Saturday; the Heat swept Indiana in the first round and has had a week off to get ready. Miami won the season series 2-1.
No. 5 - The lull in the tropics following Hurricane Laura has been brief now that four different areas in the Atlantic Basin are being monitored for potential development this week.
Of the four areas, two are showing a high potential to develop into tropical depressions over the next day or so. One area is moving away from Florida and represents a 70% chance for development over the next five days. Thankfully, the trajectory of any development would carry it away from the United States, with no immediate threat foreseen. The other area, dubbed “Invest 99L”, is now moving through the eastern Caribbean and holds an 80% chance for development. Locations such as Jamaica, Belize and Guatemala are encouraged to follow its progress this week.
No. 6 - Locally weatherwise, South Florida returns to the late summer forecast of afternoon storms and highs that will make it feel more uncomfortable than usual. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
