Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 6-19-20

Feature
Doctors Tell EPG That People Need To Wear Masks
Clergy, Christians Take Faith Walk; Meet With Officials Monday
Hundreds of protesters lined Nuccio Parkway as they headed to City Hall. (Photo courtesy of James Johnson)
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Because of the increase
in cases of COVID-19 in Hillsborough County, the EPG will return to meet- ing twice a week.
In its meeting on Thurs- day, June 11, the Emergency Policy Group (EPG) decided to return to meeting twice a week – Mondays and Thursdays.
Commissioner Les Miller, Chair of the EPG, said after they were told by Dr. Daniel Holt of the Florida Dept. of Health – Hillsbor- ough County - that the num- bers in Hillsborough County are starting to increase, he rec- ommended that the group re- turns to meeting twice a week.
“We have got to be pre- pared for what the next move
COMM. LES MILLER
should be, especially if these numbers continue to in- crease,” he said.
Thursday’s meeting, which lasted nearly 3 hours, focused mainly on the number of posi- tive cases being revealed over the last 14 days, he said.
“That may be caused by a number of factors: more test- ing, which we are proud of,
and more people are out and about, mingling with larger groups.
“We learned that the growth in positive cases is among those 25-34 years old. The surprising thing was to learn that there’s a growth in the numbers for ages 14-24 years old,” he said. “Those groups are out and about more, and there’s no social dis- tancing or wearing masks.”
It is recommended that all age groups should wear masks when they’re out. “Masks help prevent the spread of the dis- ease and help save lives,” Comm. Miller said.
Meeting Monday, June 15th
After 5 consecutive days of an increase in the number of positive cases, the EPG has grown concerned, Comm. Miller said. “We’ve got to fig- ure out to cut down on these increases. The doctors are con- stantly telling us to wear masks and do social distanc- ing. It’s getting scary because it so difficult to convince peo- ple to wear masks,” he said.
There has not been an in- crease in the number of hospi- tal beds, and no increase in the number of ICUs.
The largest number of tests have been administered at the site at Raymond James Sta- dium, followed by the Lee Davis Resource Center. Six percent (6%) of the population in Hillsborough County has been tested.
Clergy and Christians from the Tampa Bay area converged on the Allen Tem- ple AME Church on Saturday, June 13, 2020, for a faith walk, peacefully protesting hatred, racism, and injustice.
Hundreds marched from Allen Temple AME Church to City Hall, after a rousing prayer by Bishop Thomas Scott of the 34th Street Church of God and marching orders from Rev. Dr. Glen Dames of Allen Temple.
During the approximately 1.5 mile walk, marchers chanted and sang songs of praise in a powerful display of
unity. Once at City Hall, sev- eral speakers, including Dr. Zachary Hudson of Re- Birth Missionary Baptist Church of Tampa, Rev. Karen Sims of Mt. Zion AME in Riverview, Rev. Markus White of Allen Temple and Minister Larenz Johnson of New Mt. Zion, stirred the gather- ers with rousing calls to ac- tion. Aria Roundtree sang a soul-stirring rendition of “Satan, We’re Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down.” The crowd knelt as they sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Voter’s registration vol- unteers were on hand at Allen Temple and City Hall.
Meeting With May0r, Law Enforcement
Monday night (June 15th) a panel discussion between local clergy and elected and appointed officials was held. Rev. Larry L. Roundtree, II, was coordinator. The panel consisted of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chro- nister, State Attorney An- drew Warren, and Tampa City Council Chairman Guido Maniscalco.
The meeting focused on improving relations between police and predominantly Black communities.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020