Florida Prepares To Face Isaias Amidst Pandemic

Florida authorities Saturday started to take preventive measures as Isaias hurricane approach to U.S. shores.

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As of Saturday afternoon, Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour, so it was downgraded to a tropical storm.

However, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that it is expected to regain strength as it heads over warm water toward Florida.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that “12 counties have adopted states of emergency, although no immediate evacuation orders have been given.”

He also pointed out that hospitals are not being evacuated of coronavirus or other patients.

Florida has become the hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. So far, the state has registered 480,028 positive cases and 7,022 deaths.

“The most important thing we want people to do now is to remain vigilant. The state is prepared with stockpiles of personal protective equipment, generators, bottled water, and meals ready to be distributed,” DeSantis said.

One of the main authorities’ concerns is how to deal with social distancing, while people are preparing to face the hurricane.

On this line, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez stressed that each person in a shelter needed to have nearly 4 square meters, and cafeteria-style dining would not be allowed.

“Any evacuees infected with the new coronavirus would be isolated in classrooms separate them from the general population,” Giménez said.

Isaiah is the Atlantic's second hurricane of the season. It followed Hanna, category 1, which affected southern Texas and northeastern Mexico.