New ‘Safer at Home’ order now in effect

Jacksonville FL — Starting Friday at 12:01AM the City of Jacksonville says all non-essential businesses will be closed. The order says places like grocery stores, health care providers and banks will still be allowed to open.

“If we do this and continue to flatten the curve, we’ll come out of this quicker.” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Thursday.

He says the order also urges people to stay home unless they need to take care of something essential.

When asked about enforcement of the new order, Jacksonville Police say they’ve met and discussed what the appropriate plan would be for enforcement. JSO said their focus recently has been on talking with organizers of events to make sure they comply with social distancing measures.

“By in large, the community is compliant and, and it really boils down to the respect that we have for each other and the responsibility that we all share to this community.” JSO Department of Patrol and Enforcement Director Mike Bruno says.

During Thursday's coronavirus update, Mayor Curry also talked about when the city could see potential strains on the health care system locally. Curry says, during his discussions with health care providers, modeling has shown the potential for available beds to start filling up for those providers by mid-April with peaks in early-May.

Curry says, with the percent of positive cases to the total number of people tested so far, the county has consistently tested below 7% and that is a positive sign. He says that might suggest the social distancing orders put into place could be having an impact. Regardless, he says local hospitals are still making plans to bring in more beds in case they need them.