Tampa Mayor says Stay at Home Order coming soon…

Nearby Wesley Chapel over in Tampa, Mayor Jane Castor said Saturday she would be surprised if a stay-at-home order isn’t issued in the coming days. If it doesn’t come from the governor, then it may come from the County.

The Tampa Bay area has yet to see the rapid spikes in COVID-19 cases that have struck other parts of the United States, Mayor Castor said, but that’s only because the community has yet to offer large-scale testing to the public.

Should a “stay-at-home” order be passed down from the governor, or from the panel of elected County officials, all citizens would be asked to stay in their homes and businesses deemed “non-essential” would be forced to close their doors indefinitely as the virus passes.

Castor described the “essential” businesses allowed to remain open as restaurants, pharmacies, gas stations, grocery stores, banks and “those types of things that individuals depend on every single day, all of that will remain open so there’s no need for anyone to panic.”