It’s Monday, March 30th – and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 - An employee at a Fort Lauderdale assisted living facility has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the facility Sunday evening.
In a statement, Atria Willow Wood said nine staff members have been tested for the virus. Six tested negative, but two other tests are still pending. The facility confirmed 19 patients had tested positive for the coronavirus while the City of Fort Lauderdale confirmed the death of six patients at the facility.
No. 2 - 912 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Florida Sunday for a total of 4,950, as the state's death toll climbed to 60.
4,768 of the cases are Florida residents, and 182 are non-residents who were tested in the state. 633 remained hospitalized throughout the state. Of the 4,950 cases, 1,474 were in Miami-Dade and 1,012 were in Broward, according to the figures released by the Florida Department of Health.
No. 3 - South Florida students in one county will begin their “new normal” on Monday, as virtual learning becomes a real thing in Broward amid the growing coronavirus pandemic sweeping the country.
Students will begin taking classes online, their first classes since superintendent Robert Runcie suspended sessions in person before spring break took place last week. Miami-Dade Public Schools already has a week of distance learning under its belt, passing out free laptops and starting online classes before their spring break took place.
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No. 4 - A Holland America cruise ship that was destined for Fort Lauderdale has been authorized by Panamanian authorities to transit the Panama Canal and head home after four people onboard died and several others reported flu-like symptoms, with at least two testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
In a statement, Port Everglades says the cruise line has not yet received official authorization to finish the trip. In the meantime, healthy passengers are being transported to another of Holland America's ships, the Rotterdam. First priority will go to guests in inside staterooms and who are over 70, officials said.
No. 5 - Doctors, nurses and other first responders have been the first line of defense against the spread of the novel coronavirus in South Florida - and after learning about the death of two South Florida medical professionals over the last week, the medical community has been looking for ways to protect their loved ones.
In order to combat the issue, Airbnb has launched a new program to help 100,000 health care professionals find free or subsidized housing. So far, thousands of short-term rental hosts have volunteered to help. Airbnb hosts can opt into the program through the company’s open homes platform.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, South Florida will start the work week hot and dry while flirting with record setting temperatures in the coming days. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
