on Social distancing is still encouraged. As the days are getting hotter many are going to want to go out on the water. Here are a few ways to practice social distancing while having fun on the boat!
~Only boat with those in your immediate household ~No beaching your boat right next to someone else ~No rafting up ~ Maintain your distance while fueling ~Go right from your house to your boat and back ~And no guests on your boat.
on Emergency officials in Gadsden County are setting up a new call center to answer questions about the coronavirus. Local emergency personnel say positive COVID-19 cases in Gadsden County nearly doubled in one day this past week. Now they’re hoping that putting these initiatives in place early can help slow the spread. Gadsden County officials say they’ve been receiving a lot of calls from people with questions or concerns as the number of cases rises. The emergency call center is a partnership with the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health in Gadsden County. Members of each department will be available to answer questions specifically related to the coronavirus.
Major Shawn Wood says they want county officials to be accessible and to provide the community with needed information, and this resource is just another preventative maintenance measure to keep numbers low.
Emergency officials say the community has been receptive of prevention, like with social distancing. They’re asking the community to continue to do so to help keep those numbers down.
The call center with be open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. It can be reached by calling (850)743-6070.
on April 14th is Municipal Election Day. Registered voters in Graceville, Grand Ridge, Malone, Marianna and Sneads are eligible to vote in their town election at each city hall. Mail-in ballots have been distributed for those who choose to vote by mail but the polls will be open at City Hall from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Kim Applewhite said every precaution has been put in place in light of COVID-19. Voters will enter one at a time and after each voter leaves, the area, including the writing utensil will be disinfected. There are about 950 registered voters in District 2 which is the district where there is an election. Please remember to wear a mask, stay at least 6 to 10 feet away from everyone, and go alone if possible to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The Jackson County Times will be covering the elections via teleconference and internet and will report results as they are available Tuesday evening.
on PanCare Health is conducting COVID-19 testing in Panama City, Marianna, Bristol, and Port St. Joe.
~Testing in Freeport will be done by the Department of Health-Walton.
~Franklin County should have testing sight opening this week.
~PanCare’s COVID-19 response line team is available for each location at (850) 215-4181 Monday-Friday
9 am-4 pm to conduct phone screenings. Off-site testing hours differ from response line hours.
CDC guidelines have changed; anyone exhibiting symptoms is encouraged to call the response line, PanCare Health will be screening persons and scheduling appointments based on the following priorities:
Priority 1:
Healthcare facility workers with symptoms
Priority 2:
Patients in long-term care facilities with symptoms
Patients 65 years of age and older with symptoms
Patients with underlying conditions with symptoms
First responders with symptoms
Priority 3:
Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms
Individuals who do not meet any of the above categories with symptoms
Healthcare facility workers and first responders
Individuals with mild symptoms in communities experiencing high numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations
To qualify for testing, you must complete all of the four following steps.
Step 1: Exhibit symptoms (e.g., fever ≥ 100.4 f, cough, and shortness of breath).
Step 2: Call the PanCare COVID-19 response line at (850) 215-4181.
Step 3: Conduct a phone screening.
Step 4: Upon qualifying for testing, you will be assigned a unique ID number and given an appointment date and time. You must present this id number at your appointment with your photo ID when you arrive at the off-site testing location.
Every county is different so please be sure to look at what your county is asking you to do. Almost all counties are saying do NOT go to the emergency room or your doctor. Call before going to either of these places so they can prepare for you to control the spread. Stay safe!
on The CDC has asked if you are going to go in public, please wear a mask every time you go out. Here is a easy visual they provided to help answer any questions. They have many sew or no sew patterns on the internet. Stay safe everyone!
on The forest department put out some great easy to read and understand flyers. These should help you to know what and where you should/can be going during this COVID-19 self-quarantine time. Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), all Florida Forest Service facilities, including ALL recreation facilities and day-use areas, are closed from Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 1 p.m. until further notice. For more information click on this link: http://FDACS.gov/FLForestService
on The United Way supports 211, a free and confidential service that helps people across North America find the local resources they need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 211 and speak with a live, highly trained service professional in your area from any cell phone or landline. All calls are private and confidential. Every day thousands of people across North America turn to 211 for information and support—whether financial, domestic, health or disaster-related. 211 is a free, confidential referral and information helpline and website that connects people of all ages and from all communities to the essential health and human services they need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 211 can be accessed by phone or computer. A toll-free call to 211 connects you to a community resource specialist in your area who can put you in touch with local organizations that provide critical services that can improve—and save—lives.
Need support? Dial 211 anytime to speak to someone about local assistance for food, housing, utility, health care resources and more.
Able to Give? Click this link for more information or to donate at https://www.unitedway.org/our-impact/featured-programs/2-1-1
on Perhaps you’ve heard of the potential cure for COVID-19 currently under study, Chloroquine. Chloroquine is an anti-malarial drug that has been in use since the 1970s. Taken at high doses or in tandem with certain medications, Chloroquine is very dangerous; it can cause heart attacks. At low, doctor-approved doses however, it is a safe treatment given for malaria, autoimmune diseases, and lupus. The real question is if it’s the miracle cure we all desperately hope it is.
COVID-19 is a virus; this means its function is to copy itself and spread. In order to copy itself and spread, it must bind itself to a human cell. The cell, recognizing an intruder, will try to kill the virus by saturating it in acid. Unfortunately, this only helps the virus. Theoretically, Chloroquine helps delay the spread of the virus in the human body by raising the pH value of the cell pocket the virus attaches to. In layman’s terms, Chloroquine keeps the cell from releasing the acid that helps the virus grow.
So how accurate is this hypothesis about the interaction between COVID-19 and Chloroquine? So far, there have been petri dish studies that show coating a cell in Chloroquine can help it from getting infected in the first place. So there’s that – a step in the right direction if you will. However, no studies have yet reached human trials, so it will likely be anywhere from 6months to a year before a viable cure is found.
Stay safe, wash hands for at least 20 seconds, stay 6 to 10 feet away from everyone and wash high used areas several times a day to help stop the spread.
on During this time of daily changes and the students home from school, Jackson County like most counties nation wide worked out a way to feed students. We want all children to be able to eat and this offers them 2 meals a day. Check with your local county to see what plan they have in place. Below are the guidelines on the curb-side meals.
~Curbside meals (2 meals per day for 2 days) will be available from 9:30-11:30 A.M. at Cottondale Elementary, Golson Elementary, Graceville Elementary, Grand Ridge School, Malone School, Marianna Middle School, Riverside Elementary School and Sneads Elementary School.
~All children 18 years old and younger (21 and under for special needs individuals) are eligible – you do NOT have to be enrolled in a Jackson County School. High school students, as well as younger students may pick up their meals at any location – does not have to be your home school.
on Hand sanitizer, one of the hardest things to find during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s so hard to find in stores but they’re lining up at the Timber Creek Distillery to stock up on hand sanitizer along with their liquor. Customers are asked to come with their own bottle and stay ten feet apart. Patrons can buy more than the free eight ounces, and Timber Creek has sold a few hundred gallons to pawn shops, FedEx, and government agencies. Aaron Barnes says he has the coolest job, he gets to make all the booze for the distillery. And now he gets to make hand sanitizer too! They were sitting on 700 gallons of rum that had just distilled, so Aaron distilled it up to 94 percent and then used the World Health Organization formula to make it like the F.D.A. recommends.
The Timber Creek Distillery is located on a family farm just north of Destin, Florida. The vision they have is to take the best local fruits and grains from the Florida Panhandle and turn them into the finest Craft Spirits. They take great pride in hand making every batch and hand bottling every bottle. They opened in 2014. Visit the distillery located at 6358 Lake Ella Rd in Crestview. Be sure to call with any questions or to make sure they are open. 408-439-0973. “BYOB” has a new meaning for this local distillery!
