This is the email I received from our attorney yesterday 3-23-2020. I post this so you are aware of the other communities that he is involved with and the what they are experiencing.
Email:
I just checked the Florida Department of Health’s Covid-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard. There are currently 1,227 confirmed cases in Florida (compared to 1007 at this time yesterday afternoon) with 18 fatalities and 1,237 cases being monitored. Our figures are part of the 42,817 confirmed cases (and 573 deaths) in the US.
Sadly, I am still hearing from communities where efforts to “flatten the curve” are being met with vocal opposition from residents in spite of all of the emergency orders and the sobering statistics. The medical experts cautioned us that the percentage of the fatalities from COVID-19 would be substantially greater than that of the flu and that prediction from these experts is so far looking to be accurate.
One of the recipients of my group emails took an informal poll of neighboring communities and advised earlier today that of 22 communities, all 22 had closed their clubhouses and cancelled activities, 19 communities had already closed their pools (with two more communities considering closure today) and the remaining community’s pool remained open after having sanitized and removed all pool furniture. She also noted that Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection is closing all state parks until further notice—and it appears that the parks had to close because all of the steps taken to allow them to remain open (including limiting operating hours and reducing visitor capacity) were not working to significantly reduce social contact.
We received several emails this morning from managers asking whether (and how) visitors and guests could be prohibited from entering the community.
Common sense (as well as the Governor’s Emergency Orders and CDC and WHO guidance) should make it clear to everyone allowing visitors works against all efforts to “flatten the curve” but apparently we cannot rely on everyone to use common sense during this pandemic.
If anyone would like to chime in and let us know how your community is dealing with or plans to deal with the “visitor/guest” issue, please do so for the benefit of everyone on this list.
Stay safe, stay healthy, keep your social distancing and keep washing your hands!