Tuesday, Duval County Public Schools implemented its mask mandate for all students.
In both Duval and the St. Johns County School District, cases continue to rise, with a slightly higher rate of infection in St. Johns public schools. However, the district is not considering a mask mandate for students despite a Pedro Menendez High School student dying from COVID-19 complications.
Guest: Dr. Mobeen Rathore is the chief of infectious diseases and immunology at Wolfson Children's Hospital, the chair of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee at Baptist Health Systems, and an infectious disease pediatrician at UF Health Jacksonville.
Eviction Moratorium
The end of the eviction moratorium in the U.S. is sparking an eviction crisis as millions of Americans could soon be unhoused, despite billions of dollars allocated in federal aid to prevent this.
Guest: Local attorney Mike Freed, president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, is calling on his colleagues to step up and lend a hand.
Duval Schools Air Filtration
Duval County Public Schools began requiring masks for all students this week. While many parents who are concerned about COVID transmission find comfort in the mandate, others question whether air filtration systems in classrooms are sufficient to protect against the virus.
Guest: Environmental engineer Rich Reiss, part of the Duval Pandemic Solutions Team, is the parent of a child in a Duval elementary school who received permission to install upgraded filtration in his son's classroom.
What's Good Wednesday
- This November, Jacksonville Beach will host the Super Girl Surf Pro contest and festival.
- Greenscape of Jacksonville, Inc. and the Jacksonville Equestrian Center will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the planting of 101 trees, contributing to the region's lush tree canopy. The recently formed Tree Commission oversees the mitigation funds paid to the city of Jacksonville by developers to compensate for trees removed during development. In addition, the trees will provide shade for onlookers and the outdoor arenas at the Equestrian Center.
- The North Florida Women's Chorale is looking for new members. Interested women can schedule an audition here.
- The Rotary Clubs of Palm Valley and Ponte Vedra Beach partnered with Pieology to deliver approximately 70 pizzas to more than 130 hospital workers at Baptist Medical Center Beaches. It was the largest meal delivery to date in the Rotary Clubs' "Feed the Frontline" campaign.
- A Classic Theatre is launching a new season with a wide range of plays and performances unique to the St. Johns County area. Tickets are now on sale for the season opener and key fundraiser Lullaby of Broadway.
First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross Associate Producer Katherine Hobbs can be reached at khobbs@wjct.org or on Twitter at @KatherineGHobbs.
