June 19, 2020
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread globally, Leon County Emergency Management is committed to actively monitoring the disease and coordinating preparedness efforts with local health officials, healthcare providers, first responders and other critical emergency response functions.
The following update provides a timely, accurate and vetted source of official County and community information.
Significant Changes Since Last Update
- COVID-19 Grant Scam Targeting Seniors- As we have seen all too often, another scam targeting seniors has prompted the Florida Office of the Attorney to issue an alert. The Florida Attorney General’s Office is receiving reports from seniors offered thousands of dollars in federal grant money to stay isolated at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Scammers are contacting seniors via Facebook Messenger, email and text message to offer these sham grants and request upfront payment as insurance for the expedited delivery of grant money. The scheme involved a mock website, since shut down, purporting to be hosted by the U.S. Department of Treasury. The site included videos of seniors endorsing the sham grant program. As part of its active and ongoing investigation, Attorney General Moody’s Office worked with law enforcement partners to have the sham website removed; yet there are concerns that scammers will simply move the site to a new location online. More information HERE
- Comcast Continues to Extend Free Internet to New Internet Essentials Customers – On Thursday, June 18, Comcast announced it will continue to provide 60 days of free Internet service to new, eligible Internet Essentials customers through the end of this year. In addition, Comcast will continue to waive the requirement that customers not have a past due balance with Comcast to qualify for the offer. More information HERE.
- Leon County Launches Virtual Build Your Bucket Event. Since 2015, one successful way for the community to learn about disaster preparedness has been the Build Your Bucket event, which has brought thousands together to learn from dozens of nonprofits. This year, due to the ongoing public health emergency, Build your Bucket will now be hosted virtually at www.LeonCountyFL.gov/Bucket.
- Major Changes have been made to the Paycheck Protection Program due to the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act. For more information on those changes, eligible lenders, and much more, visit www.OEVforBusiness.org/PPP
- FAMU Bragg COVID-19 testing site will be closed on Sundays starting Sunday, June 21. Individuals can get tested at the site for free and do not need to be showing symptoms. In addition, test results are now available in 3-5 days, and can be accessed online.
- It’s Not Too Much to Mask Campaign. This week, Leon County launched the social media campaign, It’s Not Too Much to Mask to encourage the use of masks and facial coverings in public. If you’d like to participate, post a masked-up selfie and share why you wear a mask and for whom using #MaskOnLeon.
- Leon County entered Phase 2 of DeSantis’ Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step Plan for Florida’s Recovery on Friday, June 5. As detailed in Leon County’s COVID-19 Response and Re-opening Plan, consistent with Phase Two of Governor DeSantis’ Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step Plan for Florida’s Recovery and in alignment with local, state, and national health expert guidance, Leon County Government re-opened certain programs and services on Friday, June 5. Frequently Asked Questions here. More at www.LeonCountyFL.gov/covid-19
- COVID-19 by the Numbers. Global cases of COVID-19 now surpass 8 million. According to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) there are or have been 508 positive cases of COVID-19 in Leon County. In Florida, there are or have been 89,748 positive cases of COVID-19, and 3,104 COVID-19-related deaths. These numbers are updated regularly by FDOH; visit the dashboard for more detailed information, here.
Click below to access more COVID-19 information:
As you may have noticed, we are no longer including the entire community update in this message. Instead, we have organized all of the information from previous community updates in a COVID-19 Information Portal. Below you will find the content available on the portal.
Continue to follow www.LeonCountyFL.gov/eip for any local updates or changes to services.
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