Leaders say we all must reopen responsibly when time comes

We’ve told you about our potential peak coming in less than two weeks. But what exactly will happen in our community once we are on the other side of the curve? Health officials want you to still take precautions, as we work toward normalcy.

The question is how do we open up the country, and how do we stay open? Our local doctors and the president’s Coronavirus Task Force both say we have to do it responsibly.

“Oh, my gosh, we can’t wait for that we miss everyone so much,” said Kayle Allen, the manager of The Spices & Tea Exchange in Naples.

Allen says she worries that when things open back up the virus will still be a concern.

“I think everyone has those concerns,” Allen said. “This will leave a big scare on our psyche as Americans.”

Lee health’s Dr. Antonucci, the president and CEO, says they are seeing good results.

“I am so proud of our community for embracing the guidelines, so we can slow the spread of the virus,” Antonucci told WINK News. “We are defeating this disease, and more and more people are recovering. In each of the last two days, we have discharged more COVID-19 patients than we have admitted.”

Lee Health also cleared 60 workers that were in quarantine to come back to work. And, just like the public, Lee Health wants to keep it that way by continuing social distancing.

“But now is not the time for complacency,” Antonucci said. “These trends can and will reverse if we try to return to normalcy too much.”

Gov. Ron Desantis spoke about the possibility of opening the schools back up during his address Thursday.

“We have not made a decision yet,” DeSantis said. “But, look, if it’s safe, I think we want the kids to go back to school, and I think the parents want that. So we are going to continue to look and see how this develops.”

Vice President Mike Pence, during the task’s force’s Thursday address, said they are continuing to follow the data on a county-by-county basis on when and how they should reopen.