Florida police park cruisers in shape of heart outside hospital to thank doctors, nurses fighting coronavirus
FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Fort Myers Police Department in Florida parked 14 police cruisers in the shape of a large heart outside the Lee Memorial Hospital last Thursday to send a message of love to health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Inside the heart, Law enforcement stood holding white letters that together read “FMPD Thanks you.” The letters were later placed on the pavement for doctors and nurses to continue to see it from the windows above.
“We appreciate each of the hard-working medical professionals and wanted to simply say 'Thank You,'” Fort Myers Police said in a Facebook post, sharing three aerial images of the police cruisers arranged in a heart. “It was a pretty amazing and personal turnout and we couldn't be more proud to work side by side with you Lee Health.”
Photo by Fort Myers PD
Florida recorded at least 26,214 confirmed coronavirus cases, with at least 774 death by Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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In an update Saturday, Lee Health said, across its hospitals, it had 79 COVID-19 patients isolated and one person under investigation.
The health care system serving Southwest Florida discharged 135 patients and submitted a total of 7,563 specimens for testing. Also, 165 employees have entered quarantine at some point, with 30 employees who were exposed at work to the virus testing positive for COVID-19.
Lee Health president & CEO, Larry Antonucci, M.D., MBA issued a statement Sunday.
“You may have heard Dr. Anthony Fauci say that reopening our country will not happen like the flip of the switch; rather, it will be a progressive, planned approach based on science and evidence-based practice," he said. "The same will happen here at Lee Health—we will be careful and coordinated in our efforts to reopen facilities and reintroduce elective surgeries so that we ensure the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff. As much as we all want a return to normalcy, we cannot be hasty.
“Our community has done an exceptional job flattening the curve, and I am confident that leaders and residents of Southwest Florida will responsibly proceed toward recovery. Lee Health definitely will," he continued. “In the meantime, as local, state and federal leaders determine the next steps, please continue to practice the social and physical distancing, hand hygiene and masking efforts that have helped us so much so far.”
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