Pinellas County has its first COVID-19 death

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The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County says that a 67-year-old Pinellas resident who was diagnosed with COVID-19 passed away Monday. It’s the first COVID-19 death in Pinellas.

As of Tuesday morning, The Florida Department of Health reported there have been 1,412 total positive coronavirus cases in the state and 18 deaths.

That’s an increase of one death and nearly 200 positive cases since Monday night.

Here’s the county-by-county breakdown of positive COVID-19 cases in the Tampa Bay area: 91 in Hillsborough County, 45 in Pinellas, 16 in Manatee, 26 in Sarasota, 15 in Pasco and 13 in Polk.

The CDC says the number of positive cases in the U.S. is 33,404, resulting in 400 deaths.

A drive-through COVID-19 testing site will open in Tampa Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. But not everyone can get tested. A printed confirmation is required.

Here’s how to get one: In an email release Wednesday, Hillsborough County says that beginning this morning, people with symptoms should call the main county telephone number, (813) 272-5900. Residents will be asked a series of questions regarding their current medical condition, recent travel history and who they have been in contact with over the past two weeks to determine if a test is warranted. If it is, the caller will be sent a confirmation by email with their scheduled date and time. They must print and take their confirmation to the drive-through testing site at Raymond James Stadium at their designated time.

Hillsborough County will consider a nightly curfew in a meeting of its emergency policy group. It will meet Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., a day earlier than scheduled.

Florida Politics is reporting that Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will move forward with a stay-at-home order, but there’s not timeline for that order yet.

But Hillsborough County administrator Mike Merrill issued a statement Tuesday that suggests he will override Tampa’s Mayor if she does issue that order. Merrill says “no Stay-at-Home order shall be applicable in any portion of Hillsborough County until further direction by the Emergency Policy Group, unless as may be necessary under my delegated authority.”

The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Pinellas County will consider a shelter-in-place (stay-at-home) order and that the idea has the support of a majority of Commissioners. The Pinellas Board of County Commissioners will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. The paper says St. Petersburg is also considering a stay-at-home order.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is ordering all seniors to stay at home for the next two weeks.

On its Facebook page, MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa says it is monitoring three positive cases of COVID-19.