© 2024 WLRN
MIAMI | SOUTH FLORIDA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Heard On Sundial: Reopening Florida, COVID-19's Impact On Farmers And Sports During A Pandemic

MIAMI HERALD
Two possible picks for the Miami Dolphins this year are Justin Herbert of Oregon and Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama.

On this Tuesday, April 21, episode of Sundial:

When Should Florida Reopen? 

Lawmakers and public health officials are navigating the tightrope of whether or not to re-open parts of the state of Florida. Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is urging tremendous caution. 

In these uncertain times, you can rely on WLRN to keep you current on local news and information. Your support is what keeps WLRN strong. Please become a member today. Donate Now. Thank you.

Mucarsel-Powell of Florida's 26th district represents the area of Homestead and the Florida Keys which she says has received little testing. 

"And a lot of the tests that we've been using are giving false positives or false negatives," Mucarsel-Powell said on Sundial. "I don't think it should be a question about our economy and our health. I think they are interconnected." 

She joined host Luis Hernandez on Sundial to talk about efforts to help South Florida during this economic and health crisis. 

How is the pandemic affecting Florida farms?

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is demanding the state of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis to open a field hospital, provide personal protective equipment and make coronavirus testing more available to its community. 

Farm workers in the state's southwest rural farms work in close quarters, making it extremely challenging to comply with social distancing guidelines.

"What we need is the state and government to give an order to build a field hospital so when people get symptoms they can go get tested. The closest hospital is 40 minutes away," says Gerardo Reyes Chavez, a key leader of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Advocates like Chavez fear that if the virus strikes, coronavirus cases would spread and it could impact the food-supply chain nationwide. He and John Mills, a farmer and president of Redland Community Farm & Market in Homestead, joined Sundial to discuss how the pandemic is affecting farmers and farm workers.

An NFL Draft Unlike Any Other

The NFL draft is Thursday and the Miami Dolphins will make their picks for the upcoming season. Traditionally this time of year sport fans woudl be watching the start the NBA and NHL playoffs, but those games have been put on hold as the world tries to handle a global pandemic. 

One key exception is football. Team owners from around the NFL will take their picks in this year’s NFL draft which will be done all online. The Miami Herald’s Miami Dolphins beat reporter Adam Beasley joined Sundial to explain how this season will be an odd one.