Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez forms SURGE Outreach Teams in the wake of COVID-19 increase

To help flatten the curve of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in hotspot areas, Miami-Dade County has formed Strategic Unified Response to Guideline Education (SURGE) Outreach Teams. 

The SURGE Outreach Teams will visit areas in Brownsville, Little Havana, Cutler Bay, Allapattah and Homestead to speak with residents and business owners about the importance of hand-washing and sanitizing, maintaining social distancing of at least six feet in public places and wearing masks (always indoors when not in one’s household and outdoors, per the County Order 20-20, when social distancing isn’t possible or if your city requires it at all times). 

The SURGE Outreach Teams will provide the community with kits filled with safety materials, such as hand sanitizers and masks to promote public health. Additional information resources, such as locations of testing sites, will be given out starting this week.

Training was held over the weekend for SURGE outreach workers to prepare them for full deployment into hotspot communities. The Teams comprise County employees and Goodwill Ambassadors from the Office of Community Advocacy, as well as faith and community-based organizations, including the Dream Defenders, the Circle of Brotherhood, the Coalition of Florida Farmworkers Organization and Chamber South.

SURGE Outreach Teams will continue to follow social distancing guidelines as they offer safety information to residents, especially youth and the elderly. Miami-Dade County has seen an uptick in hospitalizations, numbers of cases, and the percentage of positive tests, with one-third of recently admitted patients falling in the age range of 18 to 34 years old.

“As cases continue to grow, it is important that we do our part to protect vulnerable populations in our community,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “The next two weeks are very important, and we must tamp down on the COVID-19 cases before moving forward to additional opening phases.”

To expand testing options, Miami-Dade County will offer more mobile testing and additional drive-up and walk-in sites to the community.  Residents seeking information on testing sites can call the Florida Department of Health at 305-324-2400 or visit miamidade.gov/coronavirus for testing sites, appointments and additional COVID-19 resources.