SUMMARY: Palm Beach County had a 4.37% COVID-19 daily positivity rate on September 3, 2020. Providing key benchmarks are met, Palm Beach County is expected to enter into Phase II of the State’s reopening plan. The City of West Palm Beach Department of Parks and Recreation has reopened splash pads, fitness equipment, playgrounds and basketball courts aligning with Palm Beach county Emergency Order No. 20-21. Palm Beach County beaches will be open over the Labor Day weekend. Town of Palm Beach beaches will be closed. Please follow CDC guidelines by wearing facial coverings/masks and practicing social distancing.
ASSISTANCE:
- NEW- CARES Act Food Assistance Available: West Palm Beach residents may apply for CARES Act Food Assistance offered by Palm Beach County to eligible residents of Palm Beach County under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. For information, please visit: https://www.rentalassistancepbc.org/.
- NEW- PBC Emergency Repair Program, established by Coronavirus Relief Fund: This program helps eligible homeowners who have been directly impacted by COVID-19 and are in need of financial assistance with home repairs. For information, please visit: https://www.wpb.org/Home/Components/News/News/764/16.
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH COVID-19 STATISTICAL DATA can be viewed here: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/bcfddbc51de6493e819db001274317e8/
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
- Questions: Questions for the City can be emailed to 822@WPB.ORG. The Mayor’s Special Response Hotline is (561) 822-2222.
- Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline: (866) 779-6121 or email covid-19@flhealth.gov with questions.
- COVID-19 Compliance Task Force: This task force will receive and follow up on reports of non-compliance related to CDC and State guidelines for operating businesses. To report potential violations, call (561-24COVID or send an email to CovidCompliance@pbcgov.org.
- Testing offered by the Health Care District: (561) 423-1000.
TESTING & HEALTH
- NEW- The Health Care District testing sites and clinics will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2020 in observance of Labor Day.
- Interactive testing map: An interactive testing map, created by Palm Beach County, features over 70 testing sites. The map will help residents find the closest private or community-based testing location for them. Several of the sites are government supported and have free testing with a variety of restrictions and processes. Many others are private labs, urgent care facilities or pharmacies that will bill your insurance. Visit: http://pbcgov.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=7e512bab938b45a4b63275de6536302e
CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH OPERATIONS, REOPENINGS:
- CITY PARKS: Regional, community and neighborhood parks are open, as are boat ramps, tennis courts and dog parks. The City of West Palm Beach Department of Parks and Recreation has reopened splash pads, fitness equipment, playgrounds and basketball courts aligning with Palm Beach county Emergency Order No. 20-21 Use of these installations will be at your own risk.
- TROLLEY SERVICE: City of West Palm Beach trolley service has been suspended until further notice.
- PUBLIC MEETINGS: To promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of West Palm Beach has turned to Zoom technology to host public meetings since April. While public meetings have gone remote, the public’s participation is still needed, welcomed and encouraged. For information, please visit: https://www.wpb.org/Home/Components/News/News/536/16.
- The Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach has contactless walk-up, pickup service allowing library cardholders to pick up physical library materials Monday – Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The library also offers MobilePrint Service, simply submit documents to be printed and then picked up at a scheduled time. In addition, the library has a wide variety of digital offerings for library cardholders, including e-books and audiobooks, streaming TV and movies, music downloads, databases and more. For more information, please call (561) 868-7701 (TTY 800-955-8771 or visit wpb.org/digitallibrary for more information on how to Connect 24/7 to the library. For more information, please visit: https://www.wpb.org/Home/Components/News/News/515/16
RECENT ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY OUR PARTNERS AT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND AGENCIES:
- NEW- Governor DeSantis Officially Approves Palm Beach County To Move Into Phase Two: Executive Order 20-214 authorizes Palm Beach County to move into Phase Two of The Governor's plan for Florida's recovery. https://www.wpb.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=2463
- NEW- Palm Beach County COVID-19 Revised Operating Hour Restrictions and Other Business Hours:Emergency Order 2020-023 which is effective at 12:01 A.M. on September 4, 2020, revises an earlier order that restricted operating hours on serving food and/or alcohol for on premises consumption and other business hours. Establishments may now remain open one hour later, closing between midnight and 5 a.m. https://discover.pbcgov.org/PDF/COVID19/PBC-EO-23.pdf
- NEW- Mortgage foreclosure and eviction relief orders extended: Palm Beach County Executive Order 20-211 provides a limited, one-month extension until 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2020 to Executive Order 20-180, which made significant changes to prior versions of the mortgage foreclosure and eviction relief orders. https://www.wpb.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=2453
- NEW- Palm Beach Country allows more low-risk businesses to open: Emergency Order 22 reopens tanning establishments, tattooing establishments, and body piercing establishments with appropriate safety guidelines as outlined by the Florida Department of Health. https://www.wpb.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=2455
EXECUTIVE ORDERS
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19 FROM THE CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH, PLEASE VISIT: https://www.wpb.org/our-city/mayor-s-office/covid-19-start-page
OTHER:
- 2020 Census: All West Palm Beach residents are encouraged to respond to the Census. The Census gathers data that tells the story of our community and who we are. Data is used for many things including redistricting of state and federal legislative seats and the funding of local programs such as school meals, infrastructure improvements, and public health programs. You can respond to the Census now by visiting http://www.2020Census.gov or calling 844-330-2020.
- Hurricane Season: The Atlantic Hurricane Season is underway through November 30, 2020. The City of West Palm Beach has information to help you safely prepare, evacuate, and shelter for severe storms while protecting yourself and others from COVID-19. Read more about it here: https://www.wpb.org/our-city/storm-preparedness/covid-19-and-storm-season-copy
