Mayor Lenny Curry extended his COVID-19 state of emergency declaration for 30 days, until at least May 12.

Curry announced the extension April 13 during his daily virtual news conference.

His emergency declarations mean that a safer at home order, work from home order and restaurant closures, among others, will remain in place. It also allows the city to continue receiving state and federal funding. He signed the order April 9 and it took effect at 5 p.m. April 12.

Curry tweeted around 3 p.m. April 13 clarifying that extending the state of emergency does not mean his safer at home order, which closed nonessential businesses, would also be extended 30 days.

The mayor said during the news conference that he and his team are working to find ways to restart the local economy once the order is lifted, but the administration doesn’t have plans to reopen the city while other parts of Florida and the U.S. are seeing steady increases in confirmed COVID-19 cases.

“No local municipality can save this economy,” he said. “This is a worldwide pandemic. Opening our city while others continue to suffer would be irresponsible and dangerous to our citizens, health care workers and first responders.”

Loan processing

Curry said VyStar Credit Union has been rapidly processing applications for its COVID-19 Small Business Relief Loan Program partnership with the city.

Through that city-VyStar partnership, small businesses can apply for loans up to $100,000 each. The program aims to provide businesses with the line of credit within five days of applying.

Jacksonville-based VyStar has a $50 million loan pool available for the program, and the City Council approved up to $26 million for the six-year COVID-19 Small Business Relief Employee Retention Grant Program to provide additional interest and principal forgiveness for businesses that meet specific employment retention criteria.

Curry said April 10 he would announce additional incentive programs for small businesses, but he didn’t provide details. He said he was unsure if the incentives would include monetary payments to businesses.

“We are evaluating every single process the city of Jacksonville has that touches private companies to make sure we can do everything we can to get them back to work,” Curry said.

Curry said infrastructure projects in the city’s 2019-20 fiscal year Capital Improvement Plan will continue as scheduled, and the city will evaluate other needed projects that could create jobs during the economic slowdown created by the government’s response to coronavirus.

‘Hard road ahead’

The mayor said it will be “a hard road ahead,” with projections showing the virus peaking in the next week to week and a half. As of 1 p.m. April 13, there were 692 coronavirus cases in Duval County and 13 deaths, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Curry said he realizes people are ready to return to their normal lives, but that won’t happen until it’s safe to do so. From data he’s seen, Curry said Jacksonville is seeing fewer cases than other metropolitan areas in the state, but the city is “still in the midst of a public health emergency.”

Three Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department firefighters have tested positive so far, with 77 in self-isolation.

COVID-19 testing at Lot J near TIAA Bank Field continues this week under the supervision of state officials, with the number of tests per day increasing to 400. People who are asymptomatic but have been in contact with those who have been diagnosed with the virus can now be tested at the site.

Curry recommended people continue social distancing and wear masks when out in public, as well as when they are allowed to return to work.