The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is once again recommending that Sarasota County residents wear a mask in indoor, public settings.
This week, Sarasota County was upgraded from a “medium” COVID-19 community level to a “high” level. COVID-19 case numbers having been rising in the county.
At the “high” community level, masking is recommended in all indoor, public places and on public transportation. Previously, at the “medium” community level, mask use was just recommended on public transportation. People at high risk of severe illness, though, were advised to talk with their health care providers about whether they needed to wear a mask.
Previously:FDOH: COVID-19 numbers continue to decline in Sarasota and Manatee counties
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Michael Drennon, the disease intervention services program manager for the Florida Department of Health’s Sarasota County office, said the county has been seeing a gradual increase in COVID-19 cases over the last several weeks. This contrasts with the last two COVID waves, where the rise in cases was rapid.
“The good thing is a lot of people have been vaccinated,” he said, adding that many people have had COVID-19, so they have some natural immunity.
FDOH reported 1,145 new coronavirus cases in Sarasota County for the week of May 13-19, which is an 83% increase over two weeks prior.
Manatee County has also seen a rise in COVID cases. FDOH reported 897 new cases in the county for the week of May 13-19, which is an 82% increase over two weeks prior. The county has a “medium” COVID-19 community level, according to the CDC.
The positivity rate for the week of May 13-19 was 14.9% in Manatee County. The rate was similar in Sarasota County: 14.2%.
Advice for how to stay safe and healthy
Michael Drennon, the disease intervention program manager for FDOH’s Sarasota County office, recommended avoiding large groups if possible, but especially if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you know that someone else in the group has symptoms. He also advised people to practice good hand washing.
The health department also starts to see increases in gastrointestinal illnesses during the summertime, Drennon said. This is because people cook outdoors and have large gathering in the summer. He said that warm foods need to stay warm and cold foods need to stay cold.
“Don’t let things sit out for more than an hour and then eat them,” he said. “So if you’ve had your meal, make sure you put your food items back where they’re supposed to be and they’re refrigerated, because once they start to get to an elevated temperature, that’s when bacteria can grow and can cause infections.”
Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.
