Great Wolf Lodge celebrates grand opening, economic impact in Collier CountyOrientation for new Cape Coral City Council members
Tesla issues sixth Cybertruck recall in a year, over 2,400 vehicles affected Tesla stock might be up, but their Cybertrucks have another recall for their drivers to deal with.
Great Wolf Lodge celebrates grand opening, economic impact in Collier County With pomp, circumstance and an appearance from retired NFL player Rob Gronkowski, Great Wolf Lodge celebrated both its grand opening and its economic impact for Collier County.
CAPE CORAL Orientation for new Cape Coral City Council members Five fresh new faces are on the Cape Coral City Council.
the weather authority Tropical Storm Sara forms in the Caribbean The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean.
Local builder Paul Beattie gives up license, agrees to pay fine Beattie Development has been accused of taking customers’ money and not completing work promised, and now the company’s owner is surrendering his license.
NAPLES Naples Botanical Garden performs prescribed burn in garden area The Naples Botanical Garden is conducting a prescribed fire as part of its maintenance of the nature preserve.
NEAR FORT MYERS Jerry Seinfeld to perform at Barbara B. Mann in SWFL Comedian and co-creator of a popular sitcom of the same name, Jerry Seinfeld, is set to perform near Fort Myers.
COLLIER COUNTY DOH-Collier cautions of blue-green algae at Lake Avalon The Florida Department of Health in Collier County (DOH-Collier) wants to caution the public of the presence of blue-green algae in Lake Avalon.
City, Naples Beach Club to preserve green space in perpetuity More than 104 acres of recreation and open space at the former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club’s golf course will be forever preserved.
FORT MYERS The 52nd annual Fort Myers Boat Show begins An annual Fort Myers tradition has returned as the region’s premier display of boats and boating products, which will be on full display for enthusiasts to enjoy.
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a rollover, single-vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Tesla issues sixth Cybertruck recall in a year, over 2,400 vehicles affected Tesla stock might be up, but their Cybertrucks have another recall for their drivers to deal with.
Great Wolf Lodge celebrates grand opening, economic impact in Collier County With pomp, circumstance and an appearance from retired NFL player Rob Gronkowski, Great Wolf Lodge celebrated both its grand opening and its economic impact for Collier County.
CAPE CORAL Orientation for new Cape Coral City Council members Five fresh new faces are on the Cape Coral City Council.
the weather authority Tropical Storm Sara forms in the Caribbean The Weather Authority is tracking Tropical Storm Sara in the Caribbean.
Local builder Paul Beattie gives up license, agrees to pay fine Beattie Development has been accused of taking customers’ money and not completing work promised, and now the company’s owner is surrendering his license.
NAPLES Naples Botanical Garden performs prescribed burn in garden area The Naples Botanical Garden is conducting a prescribed fire as part of its maintenance of the nature preserve.
NEAR FORT MYERS Jerry Seinfeld to perform at Barbara B. Mann in SWFL Comedian and co-creator of a popular sitcom of the same name, Jerry Seinfeld, is set to perform near Fort Myers.
COLLIER COUNTY DOH-Collier cautions of blue-green algae at Lake Avalon The Florida Department of Health in Collier County (DOH-Collier) wants to caution the public of the presence of blue-green algae in Lake Avalon.
City, Naples Beach Club to preserve green space in perpetuity More than 104 acres of recreation and open space at the former Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club’s golf course will be forever preserved.
FORT MYERS The 52nd annual Fort Myers Boat Show begins An annual Fort Myers tradition has returned as the region’s premier display of boats and boating products, which will be on full display for enthusiasts to enjoy.
the weather authority Gorgeous Thursday afternoon with highs in the mid 80s The Weather Authority is tracking pleasant afternoon conditions with temperatures in the mid-80s this Thursday.
SANIBEL Failed air quality tests push back reopening date for The Sanibel School The tentative reopening of The Sanibel School has been pushed back once again after being closed since Hurricane Milton.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a rollover, single-vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Medical workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Cropped Photo: U.S. Army / Leia Tascarini / CC BY 2.0 Contact tracing is being hailed as a way for the country to start opening up again, but some medical groups say there’s a problem with that plan. Local health departments don’t have enough staff to do the job. Experts say we need a surge in health care professionals to safely get back to normal. Lori Tremmel Freeman is the CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). She says health departments have lost 25 percent of their workforce since 2008, and now, it’s hurting their response to COVID-19. Freeman said, “We would have been better prepared, we could have been better prepared, had we not lost all of those jobs.” And the staff they do have are working around the clock. “They’re tired,” she explained. “By the way, they’re working 18-20 hours a day. They’re exhausted.” DOCUMENT: NACCHO Position Statement – “Building COVID-19 Contact Tracing Capacity in Health Departments to Support Reopening American Society Safely” To help health departments respond, NACCHO calls for a massive expansion of professionals and trained volunteers. The group says another 100,000 contact tracers are needed across the country, costing around $3.7 billion. And NACCHO isn’t the only one talking about the need for more public health staff to respond to the crisis. Professor of microbiology at Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Bindu Mayi, says the CDC is ramping up America’s capacity to do more contact tracing, “So they are going to need a substantial expansion of public health field workers.” NACCHO’s plan also asks for $4.5 billion for annual public health funding, so next time a pandemic hits, we’re ready. “This won’t be the last thing that happens to our country, unfortunately,” Freeman adds. “So we need to be ready at any given time for this to happen again so we can really stop the spread and stop the deaths.” NACCHO says the country still needs more PPE for healthcare workers, and more testing. What is contact tracing and why is it important? People in close contact with someone who is infected with a virus, such as the Ebola virus, are at higher risk of becoming infected themselves, and of potentially further infecting others. Closely watching these contacts after exposure to an infected person will help the contacts to get care and treatment, and will prevent further transmission of the virus. This monitoring process is called contact tracing, which can be broken down into 3 basic steps: Contact identification: Once someone is confirmed as infected with a virus, contacts are identified by asking about the person’s activities and the activities and roles of the people around them since onset of illness. Contacts can be anyone who has been in contact with an infected person: family members, work colleagues, friends, or health care providers. Contact listing: All persons considered to have contact with the infected person should be listed as contacts. Efforts should be made to identify every listed contact and to inform them of their contact status, what it means, the actions that will follow, and the importance of receiving early care if they develop symptoms. Contacts should also be provided with information about prevention of the disease. In some cases, quarantine or isolation is required for high risk contacts, either at home, or in hospital. Contact follow-up: Regular follow-up should be conducted with all contacts to monitor for symptoms and test for signs of infection. *Source World Health Organization.