It’s Monday, January 3rd - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - As students prepare to head back to classrooms, Miami-Dade County Public Schools announced that it is modifying its existing COVID-19 protocols due to the surge in cases during the holidays, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
In a tweet, MDCPS announced that beginning Monday, all MDCPS employees, volunteers, visitors and contractors will be required to wear a facial covering while indoors at any District school or gathering until further notice. Transportation employees will also be required to wear face masks while transporting students and any spectators at school sporting events will have to mask up as well. Students, however, will not be required to wear facial coverings, but they are highly encouraged to do so as an additional protection against COVID-19. The District added that protocols for the enhanced cleaning and sanitation of classrooms and common areas will continue as implemented at the beginning of the pandemic.
No. 2 - Broward Health announced Sunday that it was hit by a media data breach in which a hacker gained access to their network of private patient information.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
In October a hacker used a third-party provider to access their network and expose personal and medical data for some patients and employees, the company said. That hacker accessed data including names, social security numbers, bank information, addresses as well as insurance and medical information, the hospital said. Broward Health notified the FBI and the Department of Justice and hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate the incident. Broward Health is also offering those affected access to a free two-year identity monitoring system. For more information call 855-862-8553.
No. 3 - As the holiday season wraps up, many people are either coming or heading home, meaning airports are jam packed.
Combined with COVID protocols, canceled or delayed flights and crowds can make your time at the airport less than perfect. Airport officials say Sunday and Monday are expected to be the busiest days of the holiday season because travelers are going home after vacations or traveling for Three King’s Day. Miami International Airport expects to see more than 300,000 travelers between Sunday and Monday. On New Year’s Eve, 23 arrivals and 25 departures were canceled at Miami International Airport due to flight crew shortages. On New Year’s Day, 42 arrivals and 46 departures were cancelled for the same reason.
Local
Get updates on COVID-19 in your inbox. Click here to sign up for our weekly coronavirus newsletter.
No. 4 - Soon-to-be moms who were hoping to give birth at Fort Lauderdale's Holy Cross Health will have to find another hospital due to rising Covid-19 cases.
Holy Cross was forced to temporarily close its Labor and Delivery Unit due to a surge in coronavirus cases among staff and hospital workers. “People are out sick due to the surge in Covid cases,” Holy Cross spokeswoman Christine Walker said Sunday. “It’s just temporary for the labor and delivery unit. The NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] and Post-Partum are still open.” This comes as hospitals across the country are fighting, not only rapidly rising cases but also staffing shortages.
No. 5 - The Key West Police Department have identified two men who set a Christmas tree on fire in front of the Southernmost Point Buoy, causing extensive damage to the iconic landmark.
The incident occurred between 3 and 3:30 a.m. on New Years Day, police said. Surveillance cameras from marketing company Two Oceans Digital captured video footage of the incident. Video shows the two men walking up to the Key West landmark with the Christmas tree and placing it in front of the buoy. The men can later be seen sitting next to the buoy for several minutes, waving at passing cars and even taking pictures before setting the tree ablaze. The men then appear to record a video on a cell phone in front of the fire before running away from the scene. Minutes later, Key West police and firefighters arrived to extinguish the flames. Police have not revealed the identities of the two men involved in the incident.
No. 6 - Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes as the Tennessee Titans clinched their second straight division title Sunday, snapping the Miami Dolphins' seven-game winning streak with a 34-3 win.
The Dolphins were eliminated from postseason contention after the Los Angeles Chargers defeated Denver later in the day, meaning Miami will miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season. Miami came in as the first team in NFL history to win seven straight after a seven-game skid. That surge helped push the Dolphins into the third and final wild-card spot in the AFC, but this loss seriously damaged their playoff hopes. The Titans also sacked Fins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa four times — a season-high for the Dolphins quarterback.
