Coronavirus in Florida

Times' readers take over this episode to share how five months of quarantine have changed life in Tampa Bay in both extraordinary and very ordinary ways. Share your own stories with us at scrapbook@tampabay.com, and we'll add them to our Scrapbook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Die-hard fans have returned to Florida's theme parks, but coronavirus has dealt a crushing blow to this pillar of our state's economy. Reporter Sharon Wynne takes us inside Disney, Universal and Busch Gardens' plans to survive the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's back-to-school time already! Teachers in Pinellas County and statewide are trying to block in-person classes. Plus, Times education reporters share what's known and what questions remain about how Tampa Bay schools plan to keep kids safe this fall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laboratories are struggling to keep pace as demand for coronavirus testing grows. Reporter Margo Snipe shares a first-hand look at getting tested, while a Tampa Bay lab director explains testing lingo and might make you reconsider taking that test. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shelter-in-place means staying home for most of us, but what if you don't have a home? Host Austin Fast visits two Pinellas County homeless shelters to see how they're fighting homelessness amidst the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exactly four months ago, we launched Coronavirus in Florida. What do we now know about COVID-19's symptoms, transmission and long-term effects that we didn't know in March? Reporter Allison Ross interviews experts to see what's changed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Florida's making national headlines as spikes in COVID-19 cases broke records almost every day last week. Are protests to blame? Does more testing equal more cases? We spoke with epidemiologists to bust the myths around Florida's recent coronavirus surge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything is canceled in 2020, including LGBTQ Pride parades. St. Petersburg Pride is Florida's largest, with 260,000 attendees throughout the weekend in 2019. Here's how parade organizers and business owners are showing pride from a safe social distance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the latest episode of the podcast, host Allison Graves talks with Tampa Bay Times food critic Helen Freund about the current state of the restaurant industry in Tampa Bay — one month after reopening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Five Tampa Bay Times writers tell us their stories of life in quarantine. Thumbnail art by Lisa Merklin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we bring you the story of two hair stylists in St. Petersburg. One was ready to reopen and one wasn't. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For weeks, experts have said that more testing must be done to determine the scope of the pandemic, but what is the best way to test people? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Times reporter Tracey McManus describes what she saw Monday at Clearwater Beach and Dr. Marissa Levine from the University of South Florida shares some tips on how to stay safe if you decide to venture out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Allison Graves talks to Times' deputy editor of investigations Kathleen McgGrory about why the state stopped publishing the list of coronavirus deaths being compiled by Florida's medical examiners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this crossover episode, enterprise editor Maria Carrillo, enterprise reporter Lane DeGregory and audio producer Allison Graves discuss the ways the Tampa Bay Times newsroom is covering the coronavirus pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Local accountability reporter Mark Puente walks listeners through how the Tampa Bay Times has been reporting on COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, state officials began conversations about reopening Florida. But there's still a lot of uncertainty about whether it's safe to re-open. So, to get a better understanding of where Florida is on the curve, we talked with Dr. Sally Alrabaa Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They didn't know it at the time, but Bill Nesmith and Joan Gee both had coronavirus, but heir symptoms were very different. Tampa Bay Times features reporter Christopher Spata shared their story in a story published online last week. On this episode, host Allison Graves talks with Spata about their ordeal.Story: https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/15/retired-hillsborough-fire-chief-fought-coronavirus-for-weeks/Subscribe: https://subscribe.tampabay.com/Donate: https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/journalism-fund/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, we talk to Dr. Susan MacManus, a retired political science professor from the University of South Florida, about how DeSantis' response to the pandemic has affected approval polls.Subscribe: https://subscribe.tampabay.com/Donate: https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/investigative-fund/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Allison Graves talks with Tampa Bay Times business columnist Graham Brink about how the state's unemployment system is affecting everyday people.Subscribe: https://subscribe.tampabay.com/Donate: https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/investigative-fund/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we talked to Tampa Bay Times political editor Steve Contorno about his investigation into how Florida officials prepared for a pandemic in 2005, then cut the state's ability to respond over the years.Story: https://www.tampabay.com/investigations/2020/04/04/florida-saw-a-pandemic-coming-and-prepared-then-state-leaders-started-to-cut/Donate: https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/journalism-fund/Subscribe: https://subscribe.tampabay.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last week, some of the nation's top doctors have confirmed that the United States is in fact looking into whether the public should wear face masks. To get a better understanding of why this is happening now, Coronavirus in Florida host Allison Graves talked with Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of Public Health and Family Medicine at USF.Subscribe: https://subscribe.tampabay.com/Donate: https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/investigative-fund/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Coronavirus in Florida host Allison Graves talks with Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert at Florida International University, and digs a little deeper into three claims made by public officials.Subscribe to the Tampa Bay Times: https://subscribe.tampabay.com/Make a donation: https://projects.tampabay.com/projects/investigative-fund/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Coronavirus in Florida host Allison Graves talks with Times editor Mark Katches about coronavirus' impact on our news coverage.Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirustbtimes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Late last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order requiring all restaurants to shift to take-out or delivery only. To get a better understanding of the issue, Coronavirus in Florida host Allison Graves interviewed Times food critic Helen Freund about the tough road ahead for restaurants and businesses across the state.Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirustbtimes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a lot of people isolation can be difficult. So we talked to Dr. Melissa Bailey., a licensed clinical psychologist in Safety Harbor, about how the pandemic and the resulting isolation from safety measures are affecting people's mental health. We'll also discuss some ways people can cope. Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirustbtimes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Floridians are on high alert after Gov. Ron DeSantis took another big step in locking down the state on Tuesday. To get a better understanding of why these steps are being taken, Coronavirus in Florida host Allison Graves talked to Dr. Sally Alrabaa, an infectious disease specialist at the University of South Florida about why the virus spreads so quickly and what can be done to lower the number of infected people.Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirustbtimes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A slew of events across Tampa Bay have been canceled or postponed amid travel restrictions and increasing health warnings, but one thing that hasn't been canceled is Tuesday's presidential primary in Florida. On this episode, we talked to the supervisor of elections in Pasco County, Brian Corley, about what is being done to prepare for Tuesday.Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirustbtimes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State and federal officials have conflicting takes on how bad the situation is in Florida. On this episode, we talk to Times' general assignment reporter Zack Sampson about the confusion and how he's dealing with the massive flow of coronavirus information.Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirustbtimes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tampa Bay Times' newest podcast answers your biggest questions about coronavirus and COVID-19 in 10 minutes. In our first episode, we talk to former Pasco County Health Director, Dr. Marc Yacht. He explains what Florida officials should be preparing for and what everyday individuals can do.Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coronavirustbtimes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.