JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some 77 firefighters are currently sidelined by the novel coronavirus, including three who’ve tested positive. Those new figures released Monday include a second affected station, Station 54 on Philips Highway, where one of the three infected firefighters also worked.
Fire officials first revealed on Friday that Station 28 on the city's Southside had to be closed and sanitized after a possible exposure by an infected firefighter. At that time 47 firefighters were in isolation.
Mayor Lenny Curry began his Monday press conference by thanking churches that held virtual services over the weekend and extending the official state of emergency another 30 days.
He also ran through the latest COVID-19 numbers for Duval County: 692 positive cases, 62 hospitalizations and 13 deaths.
“To the families of the 13 people that have perished as a result of this disease, I can’t imagine what you’re going through," he said. "Loved ones having to die alone. Our heart and prayers go out to you.”
Curry also noted “people of color are being hit particularly hard by this pandemic,” and thanked UF Health for a new outreach program to bring testing to underserved minority communities.
Curry highlighted a few troubling patterns in calls for emergency service, including a decline in the number of people seeking transport for chest pains. He theorized that people may be reluctant to go to hospitals because of COVID-19 but urged people not to ignore heart issues.
He also said officials at JFRD told him “the number of drug related transports is higher than it’s ever been.” JFRD Chief Keith Powers elaborated, saying there were 436 calls for drug overdoses in March 2020, a 20 percent increase from February.” He theorized people unable to see their doctors or obtain prescriptions are “turning to street drugs to supplement their pain medications.” He added, “don’t do that.”
Curry urged anyone suffering from depression or suicidal ideation to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
Asked about when and how the city might return to work, Curry said some things might change. “When we go back to work, we are going to be needing to wear masks,” he said. “I’m going to encourage large companies in town to maybe consider implementing their own testing” to prevent fresh outbreaks.
He closed by thanking city residents for their efforts at social distancing. “Keep it up, Jacksonville.”