Manatee County Lifts Coronavirus Curfew

BRADENTON, FL — The Manatee County Commissioners voted Tuesday to lift a curfew that was put in place to protect people during the coronavirus outbreak.

"County commissioners have voted 4-3 to lift the local curfew related to #COVID19 but urge Manatee County residents to continue heeding CDC recommendations for social distancing," county officials said on social media.

The curfew was in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Don't miss updates about precautions in Florida as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Valerie Vale, executive director at Manatee County Medical Society, asked commissioners to continue the curfew on behalf of the county's physicians.

"We realize that this is a temporary sacrifice for our citizens, but isn't it better to be safe than sorry," Vale said, noting the curfew has caused a drop in motor vehicle accidents and other incidents that put a strain on hospitals. "We are not at our peak. We understand that we still have some time to go. It's too soon to end the curfew and we ask that you consider it."

Manatee County reported a total of 437 cases of the new coronavirus and 34 deaths from the virus as of Tuesday, including 85 hospitalizations. The patients range in age from 2 to 98, according to data complied by the Florida Department of Health.

Commissioner Betsy Benac supported the measure to lift the curfew but urged residents to observe the governor's order limiting movement.

"We know the numbers are just going to keep going up," she said. "I hope people still know that they've got to respect the fact that we cannot be together yet. We cannot congregate yet. Even though you can take your boat out, you should not be congregating on the beaches."

"I represent a district that has some of the highest numbers of positive cases," said Commissioner Misty Servia in voting against removing the curfew. "I represent those people. I have to help protect them"

Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells has said his deputies will continue to implement Gov. Ron DeSantis's executive order that restricts non-essential movement around the state.

"Two weeks ago I told you we’d enforce the governor's executive order and we would not deviate from that," Wells said in a statement last week.

A Florida-wide task force is meeting this week to discuss a phased reopening of the state. The task force is being asked to provide recommendations to Gov. Ron DeSantis by the end of this week on a short-term plan for reopening the state.

Jacksonville's Duval County reopened its beaches Friday night despite a number of new cases of the virus there. News video showed people flagrantly disregarding social distancing guidelines and restrictions imposed with the reopening.

The Manatee Sheriff's Office has reported a 15 percent decrease in calls for service. There has also been a.40 percent drop in EMS calls during the same period last year.

About one half of 1 percent of Manatee residents or 400,000 people have been tested for the virus. Commissioners voted unanimously to spend up to $100,000 for additional testing kits and protective gear.

"With the additional 1,200 tests, local healthcare agencies will be able to raise the total number of people tested to 1 percent of the county population," officials said.

Here's how commissioners voted with respect to lifting the curfew:

• Priscilla Trace: Yes
• Reggie Bellamy: No
• Stephen R. Jonsson: Yes
• Misty Servia: No
• Vanessa Baugh: Yes
• Carol Whitmore: No
• Betsy Benac: Yes