Indian River County COVID-19 Resources and Information

FDOH Vaccination Site - The Health Department provides COVID-19 immunizations on a walk-in basis. Immunizations will be offered Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Walk-in immunizations will NOT be available on May 11, 2021. The Florida Department of Health in Indian River County is located at 1900 27th Street, Vero Beach, 32960. For additional information on COVID-19 immunizations, please call (772) 794-7425.

The Health Department, along with their community vaccination partners, are strongly encouraging the public to be vaccinated. There are adequate COVID-19 vaccine providers in the community to meet demand.

Treasure Coast Community Health is holding drive-through vaccination events at the County Intergenerational Center (iG) by appointment only. Call 772-257-8224 for an appointment.

Vaccinations will be by appointment only, for appointments with Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital call (772) 410-0560 to schedule your vaccination. View full details of Cleveland Clinic COVID-19 Vaccinations

The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination is a collaboration between the federal government, states and territories, and 21 national pharmacy partners and independent pharmacy networks to increase access to COVID-19 vaccination across the United States. This program is one component of the federal government's strategy to expand access to vaccines for the American public. Local participating pharmacies:

• Publix - https://www.publix.com/covid-vaccine/florida
• Walmart and Sam's Club - http://www.walmart.com/COVIDvaccine and http://www.samsclub.com/covid
• Winn-Dixie - https://www.winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine
  
• CVS - https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine
• Walgreens - https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19

Indian River County has updated its COVID-19 Rent and Mortgage Payment Assistance Program which is utilizing CARES Act funds to assist local households affected by the pandemic with rent and mortgage payments. The Rent and Mortgage Payment Assistance Program will provide financial assistance to eligible households that require assistance due to economic losses caused by COVID-19 of up to $1,500 per month, with the maximum total award from this program not to exceed $4,500. Payments may only be made for up to 6 months if not previously assisted by County CARES Act funds from a partner agency/municipality or up to 3 months if previously assisted by County CARES Act funds from a partner agency/municipality (subject to the above noted per month and maximum assistance caps).,. Rent and mortgage assistance may be provided for late payments and late fees and charges (after March 1, 2020) and may also be provided for near term future payments. Mortgage assistance may also be used for a portion of taxes and insurance under limited circumstances as state and federal rules permit. The County is continuing to review applications submitted for the previously advertised CRF/CARES Act programs for payments from the CARES Act funds. The application period remains open for new applications on a first come first serve basis until all funds are expended ($4,500,000).

• Offical Public Notice and Program Details

As of February 15, Indian River County is currently not accepting applications for the Small Business Grant Program as the funding dedicated to this program has been expended.

United Way of Indian River County has launched the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, an emergency fund to aid in recovery efforts to support those in Indian River County who have been affected by this crisis. We are working diligently with our partner agencies across the county to best anticipate the needs and hardships of individuals and businesses. Below we have listed resources for food distribution, financial stability, well-being, and ways for you to get involved. Learn More about the Indian River County COVID-19 Community Response Fund

• On May 3, 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-102 suspending all remaining local government mandates and restrictions based on the COVID-19 state of emergency. Executive Order 21-102 thereby supersedes County Emergency Ordinance 2021-004 passed January 19, 2021.
• The Transportation Security Administration still requires all passengers (with the exception of those who have certain medical conditions) on the County GoLine public transit to wear facial covers.

What you need to know

• When you wear a mask, you protect others as well as yourself. Masks work best when everyone wears one.
• A mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart, especially when indoors around people who don't live in your household.
• Masks should completely cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides of face without gaps.
• Masks should be worn any time you are traveling on a plane, bus, train, or other form of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
• People age 2 and older should wear masks in public settings and when around people who don't live in their household.
• Wear a mask inside your home if someone you live with is sick with symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after touching or removing your mask.
• Masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself away from others, or with people who live in your household. However, some areas may have mask mandates while out in public, so please check the rules in your local area (such as in your city, county, or state). Additionally, check whether any federal mask mandates apply to where you will be going.
• CDC continues to study the effectiveness of different types of masks and update our recommendations as new scientific evidence becomes available. The most recent scientific brief is available here: Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 | CDC
• CDC recently conducted a study in a laboratory that tested the performance of different mask combinations.
• There are several easy methods to improve the performance of your mask. Visit CDC's Improve the Fit and Filtration of Your Mask to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 webpage to learn more.

Your mask helps protect those around you

COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets. Respiratory droplets travel into the air when you cough, sneeze, talk, shout, or sing. These droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people who are near you or they may breathe these droplets in.

Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others. Studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.

You should wear a mask, even if you do not feel sick. This is because several studies have found that people with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic) and those who are not yet showing symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can still spread the virus to other people. Wearing a mask helps protect those around you, in case you are infected but not showing symptoms.

It is especially important to wear a mask when you are indoors with people you do not live with and when you are unable to stay at least 6 feet apart since COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another.

Your mask offers some protection to you

A cloth mask also offers some protection to you too. How well it protects you from breathing in the virus likely depends on the fabrics used and how your mask is made (such as the type of fabric, the number of layers of fabric, and how well the mask fits). CDC is currently studying these factors.

County offices under the Board of County Commissioners are open to the public with no appointments required. Appointments at the Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Comptroller's offices may be required, depending on the policies of those individual offices. Please consider the following guidelines when planning to meet with County staff:

• Practice social distancing by maintaining a minimum distance of 6 feet from the nearest person while in the building
  
• Limit the number of people participating in any visit to only those necessary for the issue at hand
  
• Wash your hands before and after your visit
  
• If you think you may be sick or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home and check the Indian River County website for ways to conduct your business electronically

• Aquatic Centers are open for lap swimming only - The Gifford Aquatic Center and North County Aquatic Center are open for lap swimming only as of Tuesday May 12, 2020. GAC opens at 10 AM and NCAC opens at 9 am. One swimmer will be allowed per lane. Physical distancing, and enhanced sanitization measures will be in place at both locations. Visit ircrec.com/pools for contact information.
• Indian River County Shooting Range - Open and operating during regular business hours. Various policies have been established to ensure adherence to CDC social distancing guidelines. Classroom use, spectator viewing on the gun and archery ranges, and gatherings of more than ten people will not be permitted at this time. For more information, review the range guidelines here or call 772-581-4944.
• Sandridge Golf Course -  Open and operating under new guidelines to promote social distancing and ensure heightened cleaning practices. In order to limit person to person contact, all tee times must be booked and pre-paid online by visiting www.sandridgegc.com.
• All outdoor tennis and pickleball courts operated by Indian River County, City of Vero Beach, and City of Sebastian are open.
• Intergenerational Recreation Center (iG Center) -  The iG Center is open for pre-reserved, socially distanced meetings and pickleball play. Read full press release
• Libraries - The Main, North County, and Brackett Libraries are open regular hours.
  • Grab & Go service for materials. Please limit browsing time to one hour or less.
  • Small study rooms are available.
  • Contact-less hold pickup remains available by request.
  • Genealogy & Archives at Main are accessible by appointment only.

All buses are LIMITED TO 20 RIDERS PER TRIP until further notice. Buses from the suspended routes will be dispatched to service the overflow.
GoLine Route #15 (from IG Center in Vero Beach to IRSC in Ft Pierce) and GoLine Route #11 are TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED. Contact GoLine Offices at 772-569-0903 or visit the website at www.golineirt.com for more information.