Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 3-24-20

Local
Hillsborough County Closings And Cancellations
Hillsborough Schools Provide Food For Students During Extended Time Off
In an abundance of cau- tion and as part of mitigation efforts in response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus, Hills- borough County government is expanding the number of public facilities that will be closed.
What Is Closing Today Until April 13:
These closings are effec- tive at the close of business today:
* All Hillsborough County recreation centers and splash pads
* All Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries.
* The County’s three Healthy Living Centers, lo- cated at: Lee Davis Commu- nity Resource Center, 3402 N. 22nd St. in Tampa, Plant City Community Resource Center, 307 N. Michigan Ave. in Plant City, and SouthShore Com- munity Resource Center, 201 14th Ave. SE in Ruskin.
Other Closings And Service Impacts
* All Community Resource Centers will close beginning Thursday, March 19, until April 13.
* All Head Start and Early Head Start centers are closed until at least March 27. This is in step with closing decisions made by Hillsborough County Public Schools.
Hillsborough County Tax Collector;
Hillsborough County Su- pervisor of Elections Office; and
Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s Office
* Until April 1, Code En- forcement will limit interior inspections to only those that are related to urgent life- safety issues. Exterior inspec- tions will continue as usual.
What Is Already Closed Or Canceled:
The following beaches have been closed until further notice:
• Ben T Davis Beach, 7740 W. Courtney Campbell Causeway, Tampa, 33607
• Cypress Point Beach, 5620 W. Cypress St, Tampa, 33607 • Davis Islands Beach, 864 Severn Ave, Tampa, 33606
• Picnic Island Beach, 7409 Picnic Island Blvd, Tampa,
33616
* All County events and
meetings, including public hearings, are canceled.
* All scheduled events in County parks are canceled. This includes all shelter reser- vations, and no additional reservations are being ac- cepted. Persons whose shelter reservation was canceled will receive a full refund.
* All Hillsborough County Senior Centers are closed, in- cluding adult day care and congregate dining services. Seniors who attend dining centers/congregate meal sites, receive services through adult day care centers, or re- ceive home delivered meals, can call (813) 272-5160 for in- formation about the continua- tion of services.
Residents are encouraged to conduct business transac- tions online or over the phone whenever possible. The pri- mary focus for Hillsborough County continues to be on public safety. Residents should be advised that some day-to-day services may take a bit longer to process than usual as the county is under a local state of emergency.
Hillsborough County’s Of- fice of Emergency Manage- ment is fully prepared to respond to any scenario that has the potential to cause dis- ruption in our communities. We will continue to diligently monitor the situation and take appropriate action as the need arises.
This virus has the poten- tial to spread rapidly, but there are measures anybody can take to help protect them- selves.
The best ways to avoid this illness are the same measures taken against the common cold and flu. Wash your hands often and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after touching shared surfaces. Stay away from individuals who are sick, and stay home if you are sick. Angela Baird Minzer, Public Health Preparedness at the Florida Department of Health-Hillsborough County, provides additional informa- tion on these topics:
* social distancing
* COVID-19 symptoms
* the testing process
* the distinction beween
self-isolation and quarantine.
Hillsborough County Public Schools is ready to feed students during this ex- tended time off with free breakfast and lunch offered at several sites across our dis- trict.
Governor Ron DeSan- tis and the Florida Depart- ment of Education directed all schools in the state to close
don High School, Cham- berlain High School, Du- rant High School, East Bay High School, Hills- borough High School, Jefferson High School, King High School, Lennard High School, Leto High School, Madison Middle Scbool, Middleton High School, Mort Elementarty School, Plant City High School, Reddick Ele- mentary School, Rodgers Middle School, Sligh Middle School, Smith Middle School, Spoto High School, Strawberry Crest High School and Wharton High School.
Each location started serving food to those 18 years old and under on Monday, March 23, at 9 a. m. and remain open until 1 p. m. daily. Federal guide- lines require students are present to receive food. Students are only al- lowed to receive food one time each day, however they can pick up both breakfast and lunch at that one time.
While parents and care- givers are encocuraged to drive to our locations, we will be accepting walk-ups. The food will be distributed directly from our school buses which will be set up in the designated car line at the schools listed.
School District
Releases
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
until April 15.
The school staff knows
that school closures can have a huge impact on the health and well-being of our stu- dents. In our district, 63% of the students – about 123,000 children – quality for free and reduced price meals.
Starting on Monday, March 23, the district estab- lished Grab-and-Go feeding sites to ensure that students have accessibility to nutri- tious meals. The Student Nu- trition Services Department has identified the following locations to provide meals – breakfast and lunch – at no cost to children 18 years and under.
The Food and Nutrition Food Sites are:
Alonso High School, Armwood High School, Blake High School, Bran-
Information
For Parents
As students enter the sec- ond week of not being in the classroom, members of the Hillsborough County School District are providing informa- tion for parents.
The students are being di- rected to eLearning to prevent falling behind in the class work.
All of the hotlines are oper- ational Monday through Fri- day from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The following is a list of tele- phone numbers:
eLearning Support,
(813) 272-4785;
Technology Support,
(813) 272-4786;
Mental Health Sup- port, (813) 272-4787;
Technology Support,
(813) 272-4786; and
General Questions,
(813) 272-4788.
Families in need of finan-
cial assistance can contact: The United Way —- COVID-19 Community Eco- nomic Relief Fund at 1-866- 211-9966 and provide zip
codes for local agencies. Hillsborough County Social Services for assistance with utilities and rent. Families can call the telephone numbers listed below for screening and schedule telephone appoint-
ments.
Lee Davis, (813) 272-
5220; University, (813) 975- 2153; Plant City, (813) 757-3871; West Tampa, (813) 272-5074; and South Shore, (813) 671-7647.
Residents can also call 2-1- 1 or visit 211.org for assistance with food, paying housing bills, childcare, and other es- sential services.
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