Gov. Ron DeSantis said in an executive order starting Monday Florida seniors will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the Biden administration continues to widen eligibility even further than the governor.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) increased the supplies of the vaccine and had them distributed to pharmacy sites across Florida. At first, the sites adhered to giving vaccines only to those under DeSantis’ eligibility list. However, the Biden Administration then ordered certain sites to allow any K-12 employee to receive the vaccine. This overruled DeSantis’ restrictions that K-12 employees must be over 50 years old to receive the vaccine.
In terms of the number of state population that received at least one COVID-19 shot, Florida ranks 38th, according to the New York Times.
Spring Break marks one-year anniversary for schools shutting down
When Hillsborough County school students went home for spring break a year ago, little did they know it would lead to a stay-at-home order that would continue until the next school year.
Besides the students, teachers also faced paths they did not realize they had to cross. First-grade teacher Diana Del Giudice said she was caught off guard and was nervous to begin teaching online.
“In the beginning, it was a little scary,” Del Giudice said. “Didn’t know how the kids were going to react, how they were going to wear masks every day. Sanitized everything.”
Now that schools have resumed in-person, it still looks a lot different than usual. Elementary student Gavin Benedict said things such as social distancing are now part of the daily routine.
“In P.E. we have to spread out. In music, we spread out, too. In art, we bring our pencil boxes, so we don’t touch other’s things,” Benedict said.
The pandemic has changed the nature of in-person school, but throughout the nation, teachers are working to make the best of it.
Eleven weeks are left of the school year, and teachers can still hope for a vaccine by the end of March.
Manatee County students receiving free meals over upcoming spring break
In Florida, one-in-five kids struggle with finding their next meal. For many, school breakfast and lunches are where they can secure food for that day.
However, breaks from school may lead to complications for those students.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Feeding Program is offering a free lunch and snack to those 18 years and under through the Spring Break Food Service Program. It will be offered in several locations throughout Manatee County from March 15 to 19.
Students are told to look for the feeding bus or van. The program is not based on income status and is open to any students in the district who want to participate.
Other Tampa Bay county schools are offering similar programs. Check with your county’s school website for details.
Credits
Anchors: Emma Oliver, Courtney Patterson
Reporter: Dylan Zuccarello
Producer: Payton Kirol
Writer: Genny Flood, Payton Kirol
Graphics editor: Zheming Zhang, Julio Martinez
Video Editors: Zheming Zhang
Show Editor: David Rose
Videographer:
Associate Producer: Dylan Zuccarello, Leo Santos
Web Editor: Hannah Halili
Executive Producer: Niamh Larkin
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Adviser: Jeanette Abrahamsen, Wayne Garcia
