JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There were no cases of the new coronavirus in Jacksonville as of Thursday, but “people are being monitored," Mayor Lenny Curry said.
The mayor added: “Do I expect that it’s likely we will have one? I expect that will probably happen.”
Curry could not elaborate on the number of people being monitored or tested in Jacksonville.
“My understanding is there are people being monitored, but that doesn’t mean they have symptoms, that doesn’t mean they believe they are positive. That means they may have self-identified because they have traveled or maybe they have a sniffle, and they are being monitored by the Department of Health,” Curry said.
Staff from the Florida Department of Health in Duval County could not confirm information about that, saying if a case is confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, then the Department of Health would notify officials.
The mayor spoke out Thursday after a News4Jax reported Wednesday the city wasn’t saying much concerning what is happening locally with the virus. Curry said he has been in touch daily with health officials and, once he learns of a case, he will pass it on to the public.
“We don’t have the authority to make the decision of who is tested and when those results are shared. What I will tell you is if I got a phone call right now from the Department of Health, and they told me we had a positive in Jacksonville, I would share that with you and the public," Curry said. “All I can share with you is the information that I have. It’s most important that the public knows if someone tests positive within the city."
The mayor said the city is preparing, and the Emergency Operations Center is watching what happens in Jacksonville.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday another Florida resident has tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing to four to the number of people who have tested positive in the state. He also said five Florida residents who had been traveling in China have also been quarantined elsewhere after testing positive for the virus, though he didn’t say where those five people live or where they are being quarantined.
On Wednesday, DeSantis said a Florida resident tested positive for the virus in Washington state. Officials did not say where that man lives.
News4Jax was told there were no cases in Northeast Florida as of Thursday.