Florida — Youth activities and summer camps are back on track after Florida’s governor lifted restrictions.
Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement at Ed Austin Park in Jacksonville Friday saying he’s going to trust parents and local governments to do what’s right for kids.
The Police Athletic League had a virtual plan ready to go if they weren’t given the green light but with Friday’s announcement, they’re gearing up to welcome kids back.
“Effective immediately Florida will be lifting all restrictions on youth activities including summer camps and athletics,” DeSantis said.
However, things will look different.
DeSantis said the state won’t be putting out any rules but rather recommendations from the department of health.
“At the end of the day we trust parents to be able to make decisions in conjunction with physicians and community leaders and coaches,” he said.
Jax PAL’s executive director Mary Bishop said they’re working on a plan to welcome the kids back.
“We’re going to make sure that we provide a safe environment first,” Bishop said.
It also means space will be limited and some sports may not come back, at least for now.
“We’re not going to force opportunities either if they’re not available they’re just not available,” she said. “We’re still going to do our best to make sure that we keep the kids safe. That includes the 6 feet of social distancing and wearing masks when they’re on the sidelines.”
Bishop said she plans on putting information out as early as next week and urges parents to stay updated through their Facebook page.
For a long time, it was believed that COVID19 largely spared kids, but a rare and serious illness called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, has now been linked to covid19.
Many kids who get it, have either had the coronavirus or were exposed to it.
Action News Jax showed you Thursday how there are at least two confirmed cases in Jacksonville.
DeSantis and his pediatrician from Ascension St. Vincent’s were not aware that Jacksonville had confirmed cases.
“I think it’s something parents should consider. It is extremely rare and then there’s other health organizations like Cleveland Clinic came out and said we’ve seen a couple cases but it’s not anything out of the ordinary,” said DeSantis.
According to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, it believes the earliest case was in March but back then it wasn’t sure what it was.
It wasn’t until last week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert and urged healthcare providers to report suspected cases of MIS-C to health departments.
Action News Jax is still waiting to hear back from the Florida Dept. of Health on how many cases have been reported so far.
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