‘Hard road ahead’: Coronavirus leaves a mark on Duval County

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry addressed media Monday, in his latest plea to Duval County residents to continue flattening the coronavirus curve.

Curry has enjoyed a political bounce from crisis management, moving aggressively to secure one of three federal testing sites in the state (which the state now runs), and instituting a small-business loan program.

New diagnoses have flattened out: 24 overnight brought the total to 692, a number which includes all cases discovered through testing. 62 have been hospitalized, while coronavirus has taken the lives of 13 people.

The 5.5% positive test rate is below many major metros, Curry said.

But there is still a ways to go.

Curry noted that his state of emergency declaration for Duval is now a month old regarding “this virus … a ghost.”

“I want to get back to normal … but we are still in the midst of a very real public health crisis,” Curry said.

“Models are not predicting a peak for another week, week and a half, so we still have some work to do,” Curry said, noting an uptick in JFRD rescue transports displaying COVID-19 symptoms.

“People of color,” Curry said, are especially hard hit.

Three fire fighters are COVID-19 positive, with another 77 in self-isolation, Curry said.

While car wrecks and heart attack symptom reports are down, Curry suggests that some reports come down to fear of getting infected from emergency rooms.

“High levels of violent crime” are also a concern.

Curry urged “working together” to stem the blood tide coursing through Jacksonville’s otherwise deserted streets.

Sheriff Mike Williams noted policing of “hot spots” is still leading to sweeps of felons off the streets, even as law enforcement faces coronavirus pressures.

Drug-overdose related transports are also at a high, with 436 in March.

Curry urged loved ones to reach out to those with a history of substance abuse.

And suicidal residents are urged to call the national suicide prevention hotline.

“It’s a hard road ahead,” Curry said, saying the city “must watch” the rates of hospital admissions, adding that actions taken on the local level can’t fix the economy or make it restart sooner than a federal go ahead is taken.

Expedited infrastructure projects are envisioned as a potential jobs program locally, Curry said.