It’s Thursday, March 26th - and NBC 6 has the top stories you need to know for the day.
No. 1 - Miami city commissioners unanimously approved a citywide curfew to supplement the shelter-in-place order for its residents amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The vote was made late Wednesday at a virtual city commissioners meeting. The curfew is from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and begins Friday. Exceptions are for people going to and from work, medical emergencies and people who are walking their dogs within 250 feet of their residence. Residents in the city of Miami are dealing with the "new normal" after officials ordered them to "shelter in place" and to remain home until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic.
No. 2 - President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for Florida, as the state's death toll reached 23 and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases approached 2,000.
A total of 1,977 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the state, including 1,867 Florida residents and 110 non-Florida residents, according to the Florida Department of Health. It was 510 more than Tuesday's figure. Miami-Dade had a total of 491 cases Wednesday, while Broward had 412. Palm Beach had 141 cases and Monroe had 11.
No. 3 - Two cruise ships are set to dock Thursday in South Florida – complete with dozens of crew members reportedly dealing with flu like symptoms amid the growing coronavirus pandemic.
The ships from Costa Cruise Lines – the Magica and the Favolosa – are set to dock at PortMiami as at least 30 crew members onboard the ships reportedly have been dealing with the symptoms, a number even more worrisome considering that the ships have had people on them before that were confirmed to have the coronavirus.
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No. 4 - Students in Florida’s state universities will get a chance to be graded a different way this spring semester in the wake of cancelled classes from the growing coronavirus pandemic.
The state’s Board of Governors announced Wednesday that they will allow students the chance to choose a “unsatisfactory” or “satisfactory” grade instead of the normal letter grades, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Schools such as Florida State University, Florida A&M University and the University of Central Florida have sent plans to students and faculty for how the grading change will take place.
No. 5 - A spring breaker has apologized for saying in a viral video last week that he wouldn't let warnings about the coronavirus stop him from partying in Florida and “if I get corona, I get corona.”
Brady Sluder said in an Instagram post that he was owning up to his mistakes and he didn't realize the impact of his words. “Don’t be arrogant and think you’re invincible like myself,” he wrote. The 22-year-old from Milford, Ohio, told a TV news crew in Miami last week that "we're just out here having a good time. Whatever happens, happens."
No. 6 - Weatherwise, after getting record-breaking heat in the area on Wednesday, South Florida doesn't look to be cooling down any time soon. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
