Health

Employees were welcomed back to campus at Saint Leo University on Monday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back Saturday at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over a possible coronavirus quarantine for visitors, asking that he “not quarantine any Floridians in nursing homes.”

Come Monday, more municipalities will considering implementing mask requirements similar to ordinances put in place in Tampa and St. Pete.

The Florida Health Department reports nine residents have died after contracting coronavirus at the Consulate Health Care of Brandon. Keith Alexander’s mother, Dorothy, was one of them.

The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 3,494 since yesterday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 97,291.

On Saturday, the Florida Department of Health issued an additional Public Health Advisory in response to COVID-19.

The state's ski slope upwards in new daily COVID-19 cases is almost being mirrored in Hillsborough County, where a month ago, it was common to see new daily cases number in the 20s. Friday, there were more than 400.

A day after a mandatory mask ordinance went into effect across Tampa, the city is doing what they can to make sure residents can comply by handing out free masks to those who needed them.

On Saturday, the Florida Department of Health announced that a 17-year-old male from Pasco County died from COVID-19.

The Yankees and Mets would train in New York if Major League Baseball and its players try to start the coronavirus-delayed season.

Three members of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at the team’s training facility, and the Bucs have closed affected areas of the building. The team said those areas will remain closed until extensive sanitizing is completed.

The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 4,049 since yesterday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 93,797.

The biggest impact player in Tampa Bay sports right now is COVID-19.

Researchers said children did not appear to be at any greater risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, but doctors in the Tampa Bay area say more children are testing positive for the virus.

Now that masks are required to be worn in public, indoor settings in Tampa, Mayor Jane Castor is offering free face coverings to anyone who needs them, as part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Mayor Rick Kriseman and the city of St. Petersburg are doing the same.

While calls to require residents to wear face masks grow louder amid rising COVID-19 cases, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to maintain his position that mask-wearing should be voluntary. 

At least four popular South Tampa hotspots -- MacDinton’s, SoHo Saloon, Yard of Ale, and Cask Social -- are all closing temporarily after employees either tested positive or showed symptoms related to COVID-19.