BOCA RATON, Fla. — Palm Beach County officials say they will "adjust accordingly" when it comes to allowing summer camps to operate within the county.
It comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Friday he's lifting all restrictions on youth activities statewide, including athletics and summer camps, effective immediately.
"We are waiting until we see the order so we know specifically what the order says, and then we will address, we will adjust accordingly," said Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker at a news conference.
Baker added that county officials learned about the governor's decision to restart youth activities when they saw his announcement on television earlier in the day.
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The School District of Palm Beach County has canceled all district summer camps because of the coronavirus pandemic, as has the Martin County School District.
Speaking in Jacksonville on Friday, DeSantis said children are less likely to be infected and hospitalized from COVID-19 than adults.
"I think our kids have been out of organized activities for a couple months now, and I think that we need to have a pathway to get it back," DeSantis said.
The governor added that the state will not require children to wear face coverings while playing youth sports, however individual cities can choose to put those type of restrictions in place.
"This is a parent's decision. No parent is required to have their kid, if you don't feel comfortable doing it, don't do it," DeSantis said.
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Palm Beach County officials addressed the summer camp issue on Friday during a news conference at a new COVID-19 testing site at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
The testing location, located at FAU's Tech Runway at 901 NW 35th Street, is one of more than 50 community-based and commercial testing sites in Palm Beach County.
"The purpose is testing so that we can find people who are positive, and their contacts. That's the most important thing to think about," said Dr. Alina Alonso, the health director for Palm Beach County.
You can get tested at the FAU location Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and you don't need to be experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus to get screened. To make an appointment, call 1-800-209-7919.
Health officials said more testing needs to be done to identify infected individuals and trace their contacts.
"We are all lagging on this, but we're heading in the right direction in terms of testing," said Dr. Alonso.
The county has rolled out a new online resource that shows all COVID-19 testing sites in Palm Beach County, and what the requirements are to be tested. Click here to see that list of sites.
