Coronavirus / COVID-19 Resources & Fun Things to Do at Home

WHERE TO GET CORONAVIRUS / COVID-19 FACTS: 

 

PINELLAS: COMMISSION ISSUES "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER TO CURB SPREAD OF COVID-19

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The spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to pose a significant health risk to our community. As a result, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday, March 25, extended its local state of emergency declaration another week and adopted a "Safer At Home" Order for individuals, business owners, and any place of public assembly to slow the spread of the virus.  The Order is effective starting Thursday, March 26, 2020, at 12 p.m. and will continue so long as there is a declared local state of emergency in Pinellas.

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"It's important for us to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections in Pinellas County while balancing the needs of our community and we are exercising every reasonable power to slow the spread," said Commission Chair Pat Gerard. "These actions, with the cooperation of our Pinellas residents and businesses, will help us prevent worse scenarios in the future."

 

WHAT THE "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER MEANS:

 

RESIDENTS:

Pinellas residents are ordered to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines of social distancing (6 feet of separation from others and no group gatherings of more than 10), stay home as much as possible and limit non-essential activity. Residents can still leave their homes to meet essential needs such as food, healthcare, laundry and outdoor recreation.

 

Essential activities include:

  • Direct care or support of family members

  • Healthcare and medical services

  • Pharmacies, health care supply stores, and health care facilities

  • Groceries

  • Meal take-outs from local food establishments (including food banks)

  • Essential work duties that cannot be performed from home

  • Primary or emergency care or direct care support for a family member or relative

  • Banks and related financial institutions

  • Laundry services, laundromats

  • Essential home repairs and maintenance (lawn care, plumbing, roofing, etc.)

  • Outdoor activity while following CDC guidelines (examples include: walking pet, hiking, biking).

  • Veterinarians and pet boarding facilities

  • Gas stations, auto-supply and auto-repair facilities

 

PLACES OF ASSEMBLY:

Places that facilitate public assembly, whether indoors or outdoors are ordered to close to the public. This includes, places like public play grounds, publicly accessible children's play centers, bowling alleys, movies and other theaters, country clubs, social clubs and fraternal organizations. Any gatherings involving groups of 10 or more will be told to disperse.

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County public parks will stay open, however all playgrounds within the park will be closed. For more info about parks click HERE.

 

BUSINESSES:

Non-essential businesses are ordered to close storefront operations and customer foot traffic if they can't meet CDC guidelines. However, businesses may continue internal and minimum basic operations required to maintain the businesses. Businesses are still required to enforce the CDC social distancing guidelines.

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Essential businesses may continue operations following the appropriate guidelines to the maximum extent possible. Essential businesses include the following:

  • First Responders, Police and Fire, Jails and Prisons

  • Hospitals, clinics and other healthcare operations

  • Community based organizations providing meals and social services

  • Human Service operations

  • Garbage and Sanitation workers

  • Transportation: including airports and public transportation such as PSTA

  • Utilities, Public Works and essential infrastructure

  • Critical trades: (Plumbers, Electricians, Exterminators, Security personnel, etc.)

  • Government essential service workers

  • Gas Stations

  • Food: (grocery stores, food banks, restaurants: delivery, take-out or curbside delivery)

  • Banks and financial institutions

  • Laundromats

  • Funeral Services

  • Hotel and lodging

  • Hardware and supply stores

  • Post offices and shipping services

 

Businesses that do not comply with the order will be subject to the appropriate enforcement action up to and including orders to close and criminal charges.

 

Additional information about the Stay at Home order will be posted regularly on Pinellas County's COVID-19 resource page.

 

HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTHY:

  • Clean your hands often. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

  • If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60–90% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.

  • Cover your mouth with a tissue or your upper sleeve when coughing or sneezing.

  • Discard used tissues immediately.

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

  • Practice social distancing. Try to keep an optimal six-foot distance from other people. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

  • Stay home if you are not feeling well or experiencing flu-like symptoms. Contact your doctor.

 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE SICK:

Call your doctor: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider immediately.

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Steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 if you are sick:

  • Stay home except to get medical care.

  • Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home.

  • Call ahead before visiting your doctor.

  • Wear a face mask if you are sick.

  • Cover your coughs and sneezes.

  • Clean your hands often.

  • Avoid sharing personal household items.

  • Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday.

  • Monitor your symptoms.

 

For more information, please visit the CDC's Protecting Yourself page.

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ARE THERE ANY LIBRARY RESOURCES I CAN USE FROM HOME?

Yes. We provide a wide array of digital offerings, including eBooks* for borrowing on our Libby and Overdrive apps, eBooks, eAudiobooks, digital movies, TV shows, comics and more from our Hoopla app, e-magazines from RBDigital, free online classes from Universal Class, free music and artistic lessons from ArtistWorks, language learning lessons from Pronunciator, research resources from the Florida Electronic Library and much more! Click HERE for more info!  (You often only need your library barcode and PIN number to get started.  Your PIN number is usually the last four numbers of your telephone number.)

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*Looking for authors & eBook titles?  Not sure where to start?  We're working on lists for you HERE!  

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USEFUL WEBSITES

​Free eBooks: (no library card required)

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Educational Websites:

Edmodo is a distance learning toolkit. As educators, you can send messages, share class materials, and make learning accessible anywhere. Families can receive class updates, support the learning that is taking place at home, see classroom activity, and monitor their child’s grades all from within the platform.

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Taxes:

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Medical:

  • Tangerine Health: Due to the current worldwide Coronavirus epidemic Tangerine Health is temporarily waiving the $25 visit fee. You can receive an evaluation, advice, and/or treatment by one of their board certified physicians within 24 hours from home. No need to leave the house and risk getting exposed to airborne illnesses. Currently available in Arizona, Michigan, Florida and Washington.

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Aquariums and Zoos: (Virtual Tours, Live-Cams, and More)

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Art Galleries and Museums: (Virtual Tours, Live-Streams, and More)

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Free Movies and TV:

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National Parks and Travel: (Virtual Visits)

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Operas, Plays, and Ballets:

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Science:

East Lake Community Library  ·  4125 East Lake Road  ·  Palm Harbor, Florida  ·  34685  ·  727-773-2665 (BOOK)