Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez Addresses Questions On Coronavirus Response
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Before Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez took office, she worked as an executive in the health care industry. To help give clarity on the coronavirus response efforts, Nunez answered questions about restrictions, economic impact and hospital supply shortages.
New Restrictions Beyond Governor's Recommendation
"Well, I know Gov. DeSantis has been in constant communication with Mayor Gimenez and others in South Florida. We've seen the bulk of the cases, the "hot zone" if you will, has been Broward and Dade. So, obviously, we want to make sure we address this at a statewide perspective, but there are counties throughout Florida that do not have cases. We want to make sure to keep that, but also address areas where you have the largest spread. And so the measures taken locally, I know he's been in communication with them, he gave sort of a floor of recommendations, right, so those are the minimum. We'll be adapting and tweaking as necessary as well from a statewide perspective. We are eager to work with our local partners that want to take initiatives above and beyond that."
Impact To Local Businesses
"I think that we are all focused, rightfully so, on the health impact of Floridians. But clearly there will be a long impact as it relates to our economy, to individuals that are fearful right now as to what they are going to do for employment moving forward. So what we've done today is we have implemented an emergency bridge loan program for small businesses. We have also instructed our Department of Revenue to be flexible as it relates to tax collection. And then lastly, through our Department of Economic Opportunity, which handles unemployment, folks can visit FloridaJobs.org to get more information around opportunities for them there. Again, there are all things we'll be adapting and tweaking – working with federal government as they look and debate and discuss and potentially pass a package at the federal level."
Possible Shortage Of Hospital Beds & Respirators
"We have, for quite a few number of days, have been working with hospitals throughout the state, assessing what their capacity is. Obviously, if there's a surge, regardless if whether it's in one community or statewide, we want to make sure that we can actively address any particular issues as it relates to ventilators and beds. Here in South Florida, as you know, we have quite a few hospitals, many of which are taking a leadership role and addressing opportunities for increased beds through a number of initiatives."
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