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from PCO 08 13 20
Campaign continues to promote eating, shopping and ‘playing’ local
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In June, Flagler County’s Tourism Department rolled out the ‘Pledge to Prevent’ campaign for local businesses to help promote the idea of eating, shopping and ‘playing’ local in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants and retail locations are specifically taking a big hit amidst the current climate, and the county has put forth efforts to combat this.
The growing list of businesses includes restaurants, shops and the like who are providing a safe, CDC-compliant experience for their customers. These businesses are committed to the proper use of personal protective equipment, routine cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and equipment and practicing social distancing and minimized contact as much as possible.
“There is an incentive for those who participate,” Tourism Director Amy Lukasik said. “Along with receiving free face masks and other supplies, we are committing to specifically push visitors to these restaurants and businesses. We want to demonstrate to visitors that we take safety and sanitation seriously and we will be advertising and promoting these businesses for that purpose.”
Local businesses were happy to hop on board with the project, some with their own personal reasons, ideas and efforts. Local business owner, Tamar Boorstin, with Wild Birds Unlimited in Palm Coast, said she’s been following strict protocols since reopening her doors in early June.
“A lot of our customers are seniors and retirees and that’s a vulnerable part of the population that we want to protect and keep safe. My mother lives in a senior living facility and I haven’t been able to see her since February, so it means a lot to me to work hard to try and beat this, and do what we can to beat this virus,” she said.
Boorstin took it a step further and launched a new pen pal program with the seniors at the Market Street Memory Care Assisted Living. Boorstin and staff are encouraging their customers to adopt a pen pal at the facility to write to and send photos of their backyard birding hobby to.
Participating businesses like Wild Birds Unlimited are taking this pledge seriously and going out of their way to ensure the safety of our community. The Flagler County Tourism office encourages the residents of Flagler County to continue to patronize these local businesses and help support them during this time. See the complete list of participating businesses at www.visitflagler.com/pledgeto-prevent.
Local businesses interested in participating can email tourism@visitflagler.com for more information.
Health Department hires 22, prepares for flu season impact
Public health experts are hoping that people will get a flu vaccine, as a rough flu season could complicate efforts to slow COVID-19.
JONATHAN SIMMONS
NEWS EDITOR
A total of 22 new staff members are working at the Florida Department of Health in Flagler County, helping perform COVID-19 contact tracing and testing as the state faces a spike in cases.
“I think a lot of us were hoping that we weren’t going to be at this place preparing for the long haul — that it was going to be a short haul and that we’d have a wave and get through it, and it would kind of go away like the flu,” FDOH-Flagler Medical Director Dr. Stephen Bickel said during a city of Palm Coast Virtual Town Hall on Aug. 5. “Well, it’s kind of obvious to everybody now that that’s not the case.”
Instead, he said, “We just got slammed, and our caseload went up to 10, even 15 times as much” as before the spike.
A total of 13.3% of the county’s population has been tested so far, FDOH-Flagler Administrator Bob Snyder said. The positivity rate is 7.3% and has stayed about there for 10 days, but had been 1% just a few weeks prior.
Two indicators are more promising: the number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms has been trending down since July 12, and the virus’ transmission rate is now 0.97. A rate of 1 would mean the rate was holding steady.
“The lower the better for decreasing transmission,” Snyder said.
PREPARING FOR FALL
As flu season picks, up, Bickel said, the health department is hoping that mask-wearing and social distancing for COVID-19 will also slow spread of the flu, leading to a lighter flu season this year.
They also are hoping for a high vaccination rate.
The coming holidays, and cold weather that pushes more people inside, will be cause for concern this fall and winter, Snyder said.
“We’re just going to have to do a lot of good messaging, effective messaging, to make people aware of how congregations of folks is not the right path to take when we are still dealing with the virus,” he said.
DR. STEPHEN BICKEL, Florida Department of Health-Flagler medical director
MASKS AND DISTANCING
Critical to slowing the virus’ reproduction rate are maskwearing, social distancing, and fighting “COVID fatigue, minimization and denial,” Bickel said.
AdventHealth Chief Operating Officer Wally De Aquino said AdventHealth had conducted a study on Central Floridians’ attitudes toward mask-wearing, and had found than 63% believe masks prevent the spread of COVID-19, but the other 37% weren’t sure or didn’t feel that mask-wearing made a difference.
Bickel knows three people who have died from COVID-19, he said, but some people don’t know anyone who’s even had it.
“But you can look at the statistics: They’re not made up, even though some people think they are,” Bickel said. “You may not know somebody who’s had it, but there’s a lot of it out there. ... There’s probably 10 times as many cases as we’ve actually picked up.”
Snyder said the science on masks is clear.
“The studies, the science, the research shows unequivocally ... that mask wearing is the most effective public health measure, in addition to social distancing, that we can take to prevent the spread of the virus,” he said.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Whether there will be a COVID-19 vaccine is a wildcard, Bickel said.
But in the meantime, treatment for managing COVID-19 symptoms has improved considerably, he said, and people who get the virus now are much more likely to survive than were the people who got it months ago.
“I think what we need to get in our heads is that this is not going away anytime soon, but we’ve got to figure out how we can control it pretty well — better than we have so far — without paralyzing our economy,” he said.
One of the challenges of responding to COVID-19 has been the slow turnaround on testing, but there’s some reason for optimism there: Scientists are working on developing inexpensive, rapid COVID tests that could let health authorities test large numbers of people frequently and identify outbreaks at earlier stages, quarantining infected people before they spread the virus.
“We’re looking forward to seeing some real breakthroughs, and we’ve got to just do everything we can possible until we get there to contain this,” Bickel said.
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Teachers, parents push district for answers on reopening
Teachers returned to school on Aug. 12, and students will return on Aug. 24.
JONATHAN SIMMONS
NEWS EDITOR
Flagler County teachers headed back to brick-and-mortar campuses on Aug. 12, a first since the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated local schools’ closure in April.
Many have done so with trepidation as communities in state after state have reopened schools, then seen rapid closures as school staff found that a staff member or student had tested positive, requiring quarantines of dozens of children and staff members.
An organization calling itself Flagler for a Safe Return, organized over Facebook and consisting of teachers, other school staff, local parents and concerned community members, has pressed the district for more
CHRISTINE PATTERSON, Flagler for a Safe Return organizer, on what she called a lack of clarity in the school district’s return to school guide specific plans and procedures on returning, and pushed the district to add remote-work options for staff members who are immunecompromised or who live with someone who is. (The district is offering two different remotelearning options for students who don’t feel safe returning to campus, but teachers and staff are expected to show up in person.)
They’ve been disappointed with what they called a lack of clarity in the district’s answers.
“My concern is that there is no measurement for opening ... and there’s no closing measurement; they still haven’t come up with that,” said Christine Patterson, an organizer for Flagler for a Safe Return.
The district published a Return to School Guide on its website on Aug. 7, replacing a less-detailed earlier version of the same document.
But Patterson noted the latitude provided by the document’s language: Hallway traffic in schools will be one-way “where feasible,” restroom breaks will be managed to limit the number of students in a restroom at a time “when possible,” face coverings are to be worn “when social distancing is not feasible,” schools will reduce intermingling of students from different classes “when possible.”
“A lot of what you’re reading in that document is, ‘When feasible,’” she said. “Well, when is it feasible?”
Local parent Randy Bertrand said his son, an FPC student, wants to return to school in person in the fall. But the district’s behavior makes Bertrand wary.
“It’s that ambiguity,” he said. “I really want it spelled out; I really want one-plus-one-equalstwo,” especially on such issues as when things are unsafe enough that schools should close, he said. “So, who makes that call, and when do we make that call?”
Staff members’ anxiety has been heightened by a concern that they won’t necessarily be told when fellow staff members or students might have tested positive or been exposed to the virus.
The district’s Return to School Guide states that if a student or staff member tests positive, the district “will communicate its next steps with families and staff who may be directly impacted” — i.e., not necessarily the school community as a whole — and also that it “will NOT communicate if a family member of a student or staff member has tested positive,” though it will take appropriate quarantining steps per CDC guidelines.
“Due to laws protecting student and staff privacy, no identifying information about the student or staff member testing positive will be released to the public,” the Return to School Guide states. “Any Flagler Schools students or staff who are identified as having been in close contact
TEACHERS UNION ASKS JUDGE TO STOP SCHOOL REOPENINGS ‘UNTIL IT IS SAFE’
Though Flagler’s start date is Aug. 24, some students around the state are set to return to classrooms on Monday, Aug. 10, and state officials and Florida’s largest teachers union are locked in a legal battle over an order requiring schools to reopen this month.
The Florida Education Association last month filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and others, alleging that a July 6 order issued by Corcoran violates the state Constitution, which guarantees Floridians the right to “safe” and “secure” public education.
But the governor and Corcoran this week asked a MiamiDade circuit judge to toss out the lawsuit. The state’s lawyers are also asking that the case be moved to Leon County.
DeSantis and the other defendants plan to appeal if the judge doesn’t agree to move the case, and to invoke their right to an automatic stay while such an appeal would be pending, according to an attorney representing the state.
— NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
(as defined by the CDC) with the individual will be notified as part of the contact tracing process and instructed on what steps to take.”
Patterson, a former teacher, also worried about the feasibility of the district’s “remote-live” instruction model, in which teachers who are instruction an in-person class will also simultaneously be teaching, over a webcam, students who are watching from their homes.
At FPC, she said, the arrangement she knew of involved a fixed camera pointed at the front of the room, meaning that a teacher would move out of the frame if they walked around the classroom.
That would make it hard to organize opportunities for small group learning, she said.
“There’s a lot of teacher accountability, for researchbased teaching strategies,” she said. “So if we are not delivering research-based instruction … will [students] be held harmless for their grades? And will teachers be held harmless for their teacher evaluation? Those are two things we have asked and that nobody has addressed.”
As of Aug. 12, no additional School Board meetings have been scheduled that would precede students’ return to campus on Aug. 24.
Football Sunday A New Season Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Palm Coast United Methodist Church’s 9th Annual Football Sunday August 16 th
Drive-In Worship Experience ONLY at 10 a.m. Main Campus - 5200 Belle Terre Parkway
5200 Belle Terre Pkwy. Palm Coast, FL 386-445-1600 www.palmcoastumc.org
The public is invited and encouraged to wear their favorite team’s jersey and decorate their car.
339634-1
As a Commissioner I will... * Focus on the needs in the community by evaluating county services
*Maintain independence when voting and remain dedicated to research
Your candidate for change... if you want something to change, do something to change it! VOTE KIM CARNEY
In this UNIVERSAL PRIMARY, all ballots, regardless of which party, will have the Flagler County Commission District 3 race on it. This election will be decided on August 18th. * Support the principles of lower taxes, smaller government, fiscal responsibility, freedom and traditional family values
*Reassess the future for Economic Opportunity in
Flagler County
MY 2 CAMPAIGN PROMISES:
1. I WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANY TAX INCREASES.
2. I WILL DONATE MY WHOLE SALARY OF $53,951 TO THE MICHAEL J. FOX PARKINSON’S FOUNDATION.
ELECT
REPUBLICAN BOB JONES COMMISSIONER
AUGUST 13, 2020 Classifieds21 Real Estate 16 YOUR NEIGHBORS SPIDEY-FAMILY
Petruzzellas celebrate a new addition
BRIAN MCMILLAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR
T.C. and Julie Petruzzella have a new addition to their Spidey-Family: 7-weekold Malakai Petruzzella.
The couple have donned their movie-quality Spider-Man costumes for years in Palm Coast, attending community events as well as private events such as birthday parties.
As members of the Palm Coast Community Church, their family fits right into the church’s motto, “Raising the Next Era of Superheroes.” T.C. was scheduled to be dressed as Spider-Man to greet the kids on their first day back to the Palm Coast Community School on Monday, Aug. 10.
“I’ve been dressing up as Spider-Man ever since high school,” T.C. said. “I really started when visiting Julie in St. Augustine a while back. I had a cheap Spider-Man suit with me, and while she was working I walked around downtown all dressed up. I met a group of children with special needs, who were on a field trip, and their faces just lit up. Their excitement and happiness that the costume gave them really gave me a natural
HIRE THE SPIDEY-WEDS
The Spidey-Weds’ videos can also be accessed through Three60tv.
The Spidey-Weds are passionate about offering their services to those who would otherwise not be able to afford superhero entertainers at private events. Visit www. spideyweds.webstarts.com, call 386-225-7047 or email Spideyweds@hotmail.com.
high.”
When the mask comes off, T.C. is a full-time bus driver for Flagler Schools, while Julie is now a full-time stay-at-home mom for Malakai.
“I expect once Malakai is a bit older, maybe around age 6, he will join us at events,” continued T.C. “We want to make sure he will be in full character, know what to say and how to act. I take a lot of pride in wearing this costume. When it’s on, I am Spider-Man. With great power comes great parties.”
To compensate for COVID-19, the Spideyweds have started a Christian Bible-themed YouTube channel dedicated to raising morale and spreading uplifting, positive vibes.
T.C. Petruzzella is a school bus driver — and Spider-Man.
Photos by Anastasia Pagello T.C., Julie and their son, Malakai Petruzzella.
T.C. PETRUZZELLA
