Even in Flagler, Virus-Related Postponements and Restrictions Begin to Accumulate

Classes at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach were scheduled to resume after spring break on Monday (March 16). But this morning the university directed its students “not to return to campus from spring break for at least two weeks to secure student health and safety during the Coronavirus outbreak. Face-to-face classes are tentatively scheduled to resume March 30th. Online classes will be available next week.”

Daytona State College for now is still planning to resume classes on Monday, but DSC President Thomas LoBasso, ina letter to students, said that could change. “In the event it becomes necessary to move instruction out of the classroom (face-to-face and hybrid classes) and into a completely online environment, we have plans to fully support students and faculty,” LoBasso said.

But that was before today’s recommendation from Gov. Ron DeSantis that local governments cancel “mass” events.

Stetson University has announced that Saturday will be last day for face-to-face classes for all students–undergraduate and graduate. Classes in DeLand and at Stetson’s Celebration campuses are cancelled on March 16 and 17, resuming on March 18 only through remote instruction–through the end of the semester. Athletics are suspended at least through April 5. Commencement events are up in the air. ” I believe that our responsibility to students, their families, and our amazing staff and faculty requires that we put in place a different approach to learning for the remainder of the semester,” Stetson President Wendy Libby said in an online statement.

Flagler College in St. Augustine today cancelled classes scheduled for Friday and moved all classes online for two weeks beginning March 23, after the college’s regularly scheduled spring break.

In Flagler, the Sheriff’s Office late this afternoon announced that its Safety Expo, scheduled for March 21 at European Village, is postponed.

“We have heard from our partners in safety and we are heeding the warnings from the CDC to avoid large gatherings of people in this time of uncertainty with COVID-19,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “The safety and well-being of our community members and public safety partners, as well as our agency members, is always our top priority. We are looking forward to rescheduling this event as soon as possible and we hope that you will be able to attend when we do.”

The Flagler County School District today announced the curtailment of all district-sponsored out-of-state travel for students, faculty and staff. No students were scheduled for any such trips until the international competition of Future Problem Solvers from June 3 to June 7 at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, assuming students would qualify at the state competition, which is also upcoming. In-state travel is not affected by the district’s decision.

At the Flagler Auditorium, Ameilia Fulmer, the auditorium director, said it’s been a busy day with patrons requesting refunds or exchanging tickets for shows at later date. “We’re refunding tickers to anyone who wants it,” Fulmer said. “I don’t want anybody to come that feels unsafe, that’s why we’re giving refunds.”

Fulmer has been in close consultation with the Department of Health and show agents, and based on those conversations, performances scheduled for this evening and next Thursday are still on. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. are in performance tonight. On March 16, the Australian Choir of Man, touring the United States since the beginning of the year, is–for now–still planning to perform, with shows in Clearwater and Ft. Lauderdale before and after the show at the Auditorium. But in case any show is cancelled, Fulmer said patrons will get a full refund.

As far as future shows are concerned, “we don’t know yet,” Fulmer said. At tonight’s and next week’s performances, “we’re going to do water and drinks but we’re not going to do food concessions.”

The Inspired Mic, the monthly open-mic performance show at Hidden Treasures in Flagler Beach, originally scheduled for March 19, has been cancelled.

At the Flagler Playhouse, where “Ripcord” is scheduled this weekend, “We continue to hold our productions, rehearsals and auditions as scheduled,” the organization said in an email. “The Playhouse will follow the lead of government (federal, state, county, and/or city) to determine closure.” The Playhouse is offering ticket exchanges to future performances for those unable to make the next ones.

Following Major League Baseball’s lead, Minor League Baseball is delaying its season, which means no Daytona Tortugas games. “The health and well-being of our fans, partners, staff, players, and community will always be our number one priority,” Justin Rocke, the team’s spokesman, said this afternoon.

The governor directed state agencies to allow people to work from home where possible, the News Service of Florida reports. “The state has a workforce of over 90,000 individuals whose health and well-being are a priority,” DeSantis said. “If they can perform functions at home, now is a good time to do that.” On Wednesday, DeSantis’ administration ordered long-term care facilities to temporarily block people from visiting residents if those people have recently traveled internationally, been on cruise ships or been in contact with someone who has the novel coronavirus. The Florida Department of Corrections has suspended visits at all prisons.