This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Coronavirus: Warnings ignored, labs slashed, expertise lost

On behalf of the families who are grieving from the loss of a child due to the coronavirus, I would like to personally respond to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent irresponsible comments.

At a meeting of state educators earlier this month, while discussing a possible timeline for reopening schools in Florida, the Governor said this: "This particular pandemic is one where, I don’t think nationwide there’s been a single fatality under 25. For whatever reason it just doesn’t seem to threaten, you know, kids.“

He was dead wrong.

According to a CDC National Center for Health Statistics report (“Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),” data as of April 9, 2020, five young people under the age of 25 had so far died nationwide from the coronavirus. Most were between the ages of 15 and 24, but one was a child under 5 years old.

But deaths by coronavirus are more than statistics.

According to a letter from the president of Colorado Mesa University (CMU), Grand Junction, Colorado, college student Cody Lyster, 21, who died from coronavirus, was pursuing a career in criminal justice in the footsteps of his father. Cory had his whole life ahead of him; now Gov. DeSantis pretends like it never happened.

To assist the Lyster family with burial and other expenses, a GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of Cory at https://www.gofundme.com/f/cody-lyster. In light of the governor’s recent cold-hearted comments, I urge Ron DeSantis to contribute. It’s the very least he can do.

Bill Streifer, Crestview

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Coronavirus deaths are more than statistics

CRESTVIEW — Under Mayor JB Whitten’s new Feeding Families Project, the city is coordinating citywide food distributions for Crestview families feeling the crunch of COVID-19 restrictions. The first giveaway is 9 a.m. April 25, to be followed by another a week later.

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With participation from multiple city departments, county and regional organizations, the substantial undertaking perfectly embodies Crestview’s 2020 motto, “a community coming together,” Whitten said.

The mayor and city leaders are collaborating with Farm Share, a statewide food bank, plus several local churches and area nonprofits as the community unites to address the problem of recently unemployed families struggling to make ends meet.

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“I’ve been working on this at least a month,” Whitten said. “A lot of people are hurting in our city. This will help ease some of their burden by providing fresh food for their tables and allowing them to reallocate limited finances toward other pressing needs.”

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Several city departments are helping plan the food distribution. For example, Public Services Director Wayne Steele, Police Chief Stephen McCosker, Fire Chief Tony Holland and city engineers have worked out traffic routes for vehicles to queue in advance of the event’s 9 a.m. start.

Friday, Whitten and City Manager Tim Bolduc met at the Community Center for a site inspection with team leaders whose organizations will make the city’s distribution possible.

Included were representatives of the Panhandle Emergency Response Team (PERT), which is supplying drivers for trucks lent by Eventents of Fort Walton Beach; the United Way of the Emerald Coast, which is paying for truck fuel; Destin City Councilman Parker Destin, who offered his expertise garnered through coordinating large food distributions during hurricanes; and Mark Brown, president of the North Okaloosa Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), which will help with on-site logistics.

“We are grateful to them for their help, their resources and expertise,” Whitten said. “We are excited to hold this event for our residents who are out of work, and we couldn’t do it without these partners.”

Participants will queue up on northbound Industrial Drive then turn onto Commerce Drive. The route, including strategic lane closures, will still allow customers who are not waiting for the food distribution to access the post office, Hancock-Whitney Bank (formerly the First Bank of Crestview), Okaloosa Ophthalmology and Eglin Federal Credit Union, all on Industrial Drive. Commerce Drive will be closed to regular traffic during the food distribution.

When the distribution begins, signage, police officers and event officials will direct drivers to either of two staging areas on the north and south sides of the Crestview Community Center by way of Commerce Drive.

After recipients’ vehicles have been loaded, they will then turn east and exit onto Farmers Street. All access to the food distribution will be from Industrial Drive.

To accommodate Gov. Ron DeSantis’s social-distancing order, food will only be provided to drive-up customers. No walk-up service will be available and recipients may not exit their vehicles. Screened, masked and gloved volunteers will load one allotment of food per vehicle.

To assure food is available for as many families waiting in line as possible, participants will not be able to pick up additional food for other households, organizers said. The food distribution begins at 9 a.m. and will continue until supplies run out.

“It is really heartwarming to see the city pull together at times like these,” Whitten said. “So many city employees in different departments as well as citizens in our area churches and community organizations are all pitching in to make this huge project work. I love it!”

Whitten said another Farm Share distribution under his Feeding Families Project, this time in collaboration with Feeding the Gulf Coast, will occur in Crestview on May 2.

FEEDING FAMILIES PROJECT FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN CRESTVIEW

When: 9 a.m. until food runs out, Saturday, April 25

Where: Crestview Community Center, Commerce Drive (across from the library)

Details: Food is free, per the following rules:

• Vehicles only, no walk-ups allowed

• Line up on Industrial Drive northbound; overflow traffic may line up on Richbourg Lane westbound

• Follow police officers’ and volunteers’ instructions after turning onto Commerce Drive

• Remain in your vehicle: volunteers will place your food in your trunk or rear storage area

• One lot of food per vehicle, no exceptions

• Do not exit your vehicle at any time

• Leave via Farmers Street after receiving your food

• The event will end when all food has been distributed

Want to help? Healthy residents ages 18 and older may email Mayor JB Whitten, jbwhitten@cityofcrestview.org, to sign up to help package food 5-9 p.m. Friday, April 24, and load food allotments in waiting vehicles 9 a.m. until supplies run out Saturday, April 25. Volunteers will be screened for illness symptoms.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CORONAVIRUS FLORIDA: Crestview unites for Saturday food distribution

CRESTVIEW — In compliance with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order 20-91, issued April 1, the city is directing all residents to “limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.”

In short, DeSantis has extended the “shelter at home” order currently in force in southeast Florida counties to the entire state.

The “Safer at Home” provisions of the executive order also states “senior citizens and individuals with a significant underlying medical conditions … shall stay at home and take all measures to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

Workers in “essential services” are allowed to continue working, though management is asked to adjust workplace practices to limit contact between employees. Restaurants may continue to offer food on a take-out basis, and grocery stores and supermarkets may remain open.

Essential activities defined by the order include:

• Attending religious services conducted in churches, synagogues and houses of worship

• Participating in recreational activities consistent with social distancing guidelines including walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running or swimming

• Taking care of pets

• Caring for or otherwise assisting a loved one or friend

“This order encourages individuals to work from home” when possible, the order states.

“A social gathering in a public space is not an essential activity,” the executive order states.

The Safer at Home executive order went into effect at 12:01 a.m. April 3.

“These directives are essential to help stop the spread of this unprecedented coronavirus,” said Mayor JB Whitten. “We ask all Crestview residents to comply with the governor’s order so that, together, our community can pull through this difficult time.”

City employees have been directed to comply with the executive order, with those “non-essential” workers sent home on administrative leave and assured of receiving pay at least through April 14. Essential employees, including public safety officers and utility workers, will see their routines adjusted to accommodate social distancing whenever possible.

“We are one community coming together to face this challenge,” Whitten said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City complies with governor’s order

CRESTVIEW — Residents of Crestview’s Sister City, Noirmoutier, France, relish the peace and solitude of the winter and spring low tourist season.

Just two weeks ago, the island’s 10,000 residents were strolling the golden sand beaches, walking in the forests, poking through community markets, and meeting friends at restaurants and cafés.

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Within two days that pastoral way of life abruptly changed.

France announced measures to control the coronavirus’ rapid spread would go into effect March 17. Facing travel restrictions and mandated self-isolation, thousands of primarily city dwellers, many from Paris, fled west to their summer homes on Noirmoutier.

“Parisians are essential to the economic life of the island, for sure,” said Lucas Charier, who visited Crestview in 2015 with a contingent of Noirmoutrin students. “But they flocked to the island to confine themselves in a more pleasant place than the city.

“The problem is that the population has tripled from 10,000 inhabitants. We have grown to 30,000. There is no more pasta, toilet paper or meat in our supermarkets.”

There’s also another problem. While residents close their businesses and self-isolate, the out-of-towners are treating their evacuation as a vacation.

“You can see they do not take the containment very seriously,” said Dylan Petigas, whose family has one of the island’s salt “marshes,” which produce Noirmoutier’s famous high-grade sea salt. “I saw when I went out to get my groceries a guy just getting beach supplies to have fun with his kids. Some visitors are very inconsiderate.”

“That's something that bothers me,” said Noël Meunier, a leader of the island’s maritime and fishing industries who has visited Crestview and, with his wife Béatrice, hosted Crestview visitors in Noirmoutier last September.

“We sailors have to pack up our equipment and go home, and then we see people happily promenading around on a bike with the family,” he added7. “But we are being told to be locked in! I won’t have it!”

Starting March 18, the National Gendarmerie set up controls to limit access to and from Noirmoutier island, according to the Courrier Vendéen regional newspaper. Travel is prohibited except only with a travel certificate for limited outings, such as to buy food and medicine.

By Saturday, the island’s Municipal Police and Gendarmerie officers started issuing citations to people who violate the self-isolation mandate, Petigas said. That’s good news to Charier, a medical student at the main hospital in nearby Nantes on the mainland. The visitors’ disregard of the rules poses a danger, he said.

“The number of (COVID-19) cases on the island risks increasing considerably if they are not isolated,” Charier said. “They think that it is the holidays, with strolls on the beach and in the street, but it is not!”

Already the island has 30 possible cases of the virus, but Noirmoutier only has a few small clinics and no hospital.

“The main problem is the lack of health personnel,” Charrier said.

“We had no (coronavirus) disease prior to the people with vacation homes coming,” Petigas added. “We do not have a lot of health resources on the island. We do not have a lot of doctors, and the hospital in Challans (the closest hospital) is not very big and does not have a lot of beds.”

Tensions ran high for normally hospitable Noirmoutrins as hundreds of cars, many with the Paris “75” license plate code, arrived on the island right before the March 17 self-confinement deadline. Several vehicles from outside Vendée county were vandalized, FranceBleu public radio reported.

Noirmoutier Mayor Noël Faucher, who is also president of the island’s Council of Communities, called the vandalism “a real misunderstanding by the islanders, faced with this influx, which risks exploding the health system,” according to FranceBleu.

Faucher made a point of reminding the incomers that confinement was "not the holidays," and that it was required that they stay in their island homes.

For professional photographer and videographer Mickaël Dailly, confinement at home means no opportunities to stroll the forests and beaches of the island with his cameras to share his evocative imagery on his Noirmoutier 360° Facebook page.

But, he noted, he is more fortunate than the city dwellers. He has a backyard where he can play with his 3-year-old son, Lenny.

“I can imagine this is only the beginning of this crisis and we are in for a long period of isolation for everyone,” Dailly said. “Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to go out at all for a minimum of two weeks. I'm allowed out only if I've got a dog, but can go no farther than 400 meters (437 yards) from home.”

But for Lenny, whose nursery school is closed, it is a great opportunity to play at home with his dad.

“We have a garden and sun. He is very happy to be at home,” Dailly said. “He loves it.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview’s Sister City overrun by COVID-19 escapees

Hello from your library! As many of you know, our building is closed to the public to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 through April 15, pending update. Nevertheless, there are plenty of lending platforms and online access tools still available to you, even amidst all the distancing and cabin fever.

All due dates for currently borrowed items were extended to June 1. All holds which may present as available on your account have been extended. We will have them available for pick up for 5 business days after we reopen. Those of you concerned about expiring privileges will be glad to know you’ve been extended till after we reopen. Current checkouts can be returned to the book and media drop outside the library. While you’re out there, check out our free book cart and grab your complimentary 1040 tax forms!

If you haven’t checked out our digital lending services, now’s a great time. Our two main platforms are Libby (Overdrive) and RBDigital. These two services are available in the app store of most smart devices and desktops. Simply have your library card number handy, and you’ll instantly have access to thousands of books, audiobooks, magazines, read-alongs, and more The best part? There are no fines or fees EVER!

In the meantime, there are plenty of things to do online. Visit www.readokaloosa.org to take advantage of services like Universal Class and Transparent Languages. After all, being stuck with the kiddos is a perfect time for everyone to learn a little Spanish or French! In addition, check out our Online Tools tab at www.cityofcrestview.org/184/Online-Tools for numerous useful resources, including free homework aid and tutoring on HelpNow and free resume and career counseling on JobNow and Career Transitions. If you’re using this time to study for a standardized test, don’t forget to look at the Testing and Education Reference Center as well. As always, we’ll be posting plenty of helpful links and some fun videos (story time online, anyone?) on our Facebook at www.facebook.com/crestviewpubliclibraryfl/.

Staying safe and healthy doesn’t mean you have to be bored or the learning has to stop. If you have any questions, call us at 850-682-4432, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m.and 5 p.m.

Emily Knie is the Crestview Public Library’s adult services librarian and interim assistant director.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Borrow a book without entering the library

CRESTVIEW — As an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the city of Crestview is following Centers for Disease Control social distancing guidelines and has closed all city-administered recreation and cultural facilities until at least April 15.

This includes the cancellation of all public and private events scheduled at these facilities, including the Crestview Community Center and Warriors Hall.

“We want to assure citizens that government is still functioning,” City Manager Tim Bolduc said. “All City Council and Local Planning Agency meetings scheduled through April 15 will take place, and at this time, citizens can attend meetings open to the public, but we are encouraging residents to view the live proceedings on Facebook.”

Residents will be able to provide feedback during the meetings, which will be live-streamed by Crestview Community Television. City staff will monitor the feed and relay comments and questions at the appropriate time, making the meetings fully interactive.

Crestview’s Community Recreation and Enrichment Services department will be contacting individuals and organizations that have events booked at city facilities. Those who have not been contacted by March 18 or have questions pertaining to their booking are asked to contact CRES at 850-682-0789.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview closes parks, cancels events