Collier Schools

Local pediatricians released a video to encourage mask wearing among kids.

The Collier County School Board held a special meeting Monday morning to discuss two hot-button issues: Critical Race Theory and Vaccines.

State health officials reported 3,184 new COVID-19 cases and 51 deaths, Wednesday. As of Wednesday morning, nearly 9.4 million people in Florida have been vaccinated including more than 7.2 million people who have completed a two-dose series or taken the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.Florida officials plan to reinstate a requirement that those receiving state unemployment benefits must show that they’re looking for work and applying for jobs.The Florida Division of Emergency Management this week announced plans to close state-run COVID-19 testing sites throughout the state.The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is going down in Florida, but new admissions are still higher than in most parts of the country, especially for younger and middle-aged adults.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC have now approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for 12 to 15-year-old children.Collier and Manatee County School District officials are looking to make mask wearing optional for summer school and for the new school year that begins this fall.

State health officials reported 2,883 new cases of COVID-19, Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 741,632 cases. The Florida Department of Health also reported 64 new coronavirus-related deaths, Oct. 14, increasing the statewide death toll to 15,788 fatalities.Of the 5,622,438 COVID-19 tests that have been reported in Florida so far, the overall positivity rate remains at 13.19% and the latest single-day positivity rate increased to 5.39%.

The pandemic has affected college football recruiting.

State health officials reported 1,736 new COVID-19 cases, Monday, bringing Florida's total to 665,730 cases. The Florida Department of Health also reported 34 new coronavirus-related deaths, Sept. 14, increasing the statewide death toll to 12,800 fatalities.Of the 4,948,075 COVID-19 tests that have been performed in Florida so far, the overall positivity rate has fallen slightly to 13.45%, but the single-day positivity rate for Monday stands at 3.8%.

Collier County schools will stay on their planned schedule.

State health officials reported 219 new coronavirus-related deaths, Tuesday, increasing the statewide death toll to 9,758 fatalities since the start of the pandemic. Tuesday marks the tenth consecutive day the Florida Department of Health reported more than 200 COVID-19 related deaths in a single day.Health officials also reported 3,838 new cases of the virus, Aug. 18, bringing the statewide total to 579,932 cases. Tuesday marked the third consecutive day health officials reported fewer than 4,000 new cases of the virus in a day. The last time that happened was June 21-23. Tuesday was also the 23rd consecutive day the health department reported fewer than 10,000 new cases in a day.

State health officials reported another 1,371 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Wednesday, increasing the statewide total to 67,371 confirmed cases. With the exception of this past Monday, the Florida Department of Health has reported more than 1,000 new cases of the virus each day since June third.

For nearly 40 years, the Marco Island Center for the Arts has held a competition for Collier County high school art students, where their submissions are…