Yesterday afternoon, Escambia County Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County held a joint meeting for “community partners” at the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center. Inweekly was not informed of the meeting – or invited.
In a press release sent out by the county’s communication department at 5:26 p.m. –four hours after the meeting, county officials stated: “Dr. John Lanza, director of the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, addressed preparedness, containment and mitigation strategies for COVID-19. At the conclusion of the presentation, Dr. Lanza and Escambia County Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore provided answers to questions from partner organizations.”
“We were pleased to see representatives from more than 30 community partner organizations at today’s meeting, and we know these representatives will help disseminate important coronavirus safety information throughout the community,” Escambia County Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore said, according to the email.
“The number one priority is the safety of our community, and we are actively continuing to engage with community partners, media outlets and state and local health officials to ensure proper planning and preventative action is in place.â€
Inweekly talked with “partners” who participated in the meeting via conference phones. They said the line was garbled and Lanza seemed to be reading from a Florida Department of Health handout.
The media are the best outlets to “disseminate important coronavirus safety information throughout the community,” but they weren’t invited and allowed to ask questions of Lanza or Gilmore.
Making the matter worse, the county didn’t release the information until after 5 p.m., which hampered television stations getting the information out during their six o’clock broadcasts or in today’s edition of the daily newspaper.
Hardly the level of transparency lawmakers, and the public are demanding.
Call to Action
County Administrator Janice Gilley needs to hold a press conference, similar to other counties, and address the coronavirus issue publicly. Email her at janicepgilley@myescambia.com. The county’s communication plan on the virus is pitiful. Why all the games and secrecy?
More Cases
The Florida Department of Health has announced eight new positive cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Florida. To keep Florida residents and visitors safe and aware about the status of the virus, the Department is issuing regular updates as information becomes available.
New Positive Cases
- Â A 68-year old male in Nassau County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This is a travel-related case.
- A 68-year old female Georgia resident who is currently in Alachua County, Florida, has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. The Georgia Department of Public Health is leading the epidemiological investigation for this individual.
- A 73-year old male in Collier County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This is a travel-related case.
- A 68-year old female in Collier County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This is a travel-related case.
- A 64-year old female in Collier County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This is a travel-related case.
- A 67-year old male in Pinellas County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This is a travel-related case.
- A 64-year old male in Pinellas County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This is a travel-related case.
- A 46-year old male in Pasco County has been identified as positive. This person is isolated and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. This is a travel-related case.
Filling the Gap
In the absence of leadership from the county administration, local companies are sending out information to their employees and customers. We’ve received updates from Baptist Health Care, Appriver, Southwest Airlines and Silver Airways.