ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County has spent $1.7 million preparing its schools to take precautions against COVID-19 ahead of the new school year, according to a spokesperson for the school district.
The spokesperson told First Coast News the total was spent by the end of business hours Friday, July 10. The funding went to items such as personal protective equipment (PPE), thermometers, signage, desk shields, hand sanitizer and items for sanitizing and disinfecting.
The county is expected to vote Tuesday, July 14, regarding emergency spending and appropriation of resources for more COVID-19 supplies, the spokesperson said.
St. Johns County schools are among many schools across Florida having to prepare to reopen amid the pandemic and as numbers of confirmed cases continue to spike across the state.
The Florida Department of Health reported on Monday another 12,624 new positive cases for July 12, bringing the state's overall total to 282,435 since the pandemic began.