To Safeguard Our Community against Coronavirus Is Homestead’s Top Priority
Zackery Good, assistant to the city manager at the City of Homestead, provides complete guidance on how the city is dealing with the coronavirus crisis
The City of Homestead continues displaying efforts, monitoring the outbreak and implementing measures to counter-attack and prevent the spread of coronavirus in our community. All actions are in line with county and state authorities, and city staff is in contact with Miami- Dade County, the State of Florida, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other agencies, following emergency guidance.
“Homestead has closed all city facilities to the public and postponed all events and implemented deep cleans and sanitization protocols in the interest of protecting residents and employees. Closed facilities include all city parks, city hall, development services, and the solid waste drop site, except for the police department,” said Zackery Good.
“In a coordinating effort with emergency orders issued by Miami-Dade County, as of March 27, the city started a curfew nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.,” he added. People may go outside with a valid purpose, such as getting access to medication or health services, walking dogs or pets, going to or from work, among other instances.
The city is deeply concerned with the safety and wellbeing of our community. “There is no planned disruption to services like water, electric, or waste collection, and Homestead Public Services has waived all late fees and suspended non-payment disconnections,” he added.
Concerning the financial impact the crisis is having on the general public, but in particular to small businesses and self-employed workers, Homestead has not yet implemented a specific program for those affected. However, “Our top priority is to ensure that residents and businesses get the help they need to recover after the emergency comes to an end. Local businesses should contact the Community Redevelopment Agency or Economic Development Office for additional information on resources that may be available,” he mentioned.
In terms of healthcare, the city’s strategy has been to fully cooperate with the Florida Department of Health in all matters related to COVID-19. The department is working closely with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the outbreak closely. “However, the city does not get directly involved with testing or quarantining of infected individuals but is assisting Homestead Hospital as needed with requests for supplies or help with crowd control,” commented Zack Good.
If you are a beneficiary of social services, Miami-Dade County continues the provision of assistance to those registered. Additionally, the City of Homestead launched a coronavirus hotline for anyone in the city to call at 305-224-4438 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in English, Spanish, and Creole. “This helpline proposes to get our most vulnerable populations connected with help, whether directly through our staff or other agencies,” concluded Mr. Good.
For more information visit www.cityofhomestead.com/coronavirus
Haz clic para leer en Español: La principal prioridad de Homestead es salvaguardar el bienestar de nuestra comunidad ante la amenaza del Coronavirus
