Broward declares state of emergency.

Broward County declared a state of emergency Tuesday, after a fourth county resident tested positive for novel coronavirus.

The county brought its emergency operations center in Plantation to a Level 2 activation level at noon, which involves the partial mobilization of emergency service personnel. A Level 1 emergency would involve the full activation of all emergency personnel, with everyone involved expected to be at their posts at the emergency operations center or elsewhere in the county.

“COVID-19 constitutes a clear and present threat to the health and welfare of the people of Broward County,” stated a declaration of emergency signed at 12:25 p.m. by County Administrator Bertha Henry. The emergency declaration lasts for seven days, unless extended or canceled.

“This is a very, very fluid situation and we need to act as quickly as we can,” Henry said.

The latest victim involves a 69-year-old woman. She is the third Broward person infected with the virus who works for a company that operates at Port Everglades.

The three other cases involve employees of Metro Cruise Services, which provides guest services for cruise ships docking at the port, said Helen Ferre, a spokeswoman for Gov. Ron DeSantis.

About 150 people work for the company, and employees who may have had contact with the people who have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 are being notified, officials said.

The company is responsible for guiding people off cruise ships and providing other assistance to guests. It remains unclear exactly how these employees might have contracted the illness.

Port Everglades, with its huge business in cargo ships and cruise lines, has turned out to be a center for both the transmission of the disease and its potential economic impact.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement Sunday advising against boarding cruise ships during the coronavirus crisis, a recommendation that stunned officials in South Florida, where the industry is a big part of the economy.

Cruise lines continued to sail and local elected officials evaded questions on whether this was advisable. Cruise line officials preferred to focus on the more optimistic statements of Vice President Mike Pence at Port Everglades on Saturday, when he insisted cruising was a “safe way for healthy Americans to travel.”

Broward County commissioners expressed concern that the true number of cases may be far higher because of a lack of sufficient testing by the Florida Department of Health.

There are “4 cases in Broward but we have no idea how many there really are,” Vice Mayor Steve Geller said.

Commissioner Michael Udine criticized the way the health department is sharing information.

“When we can’t make sense out of it, the public can’t make sense out of it.”

He said he doesn’t have confidence in the testing numbers.

He said the health department has the schedules of the workers who tested positive and they are “not following up with those passengers to say, ‘You may have been exposed.’ ”

“It’s not just 4 people. … It’s simply not true,” he said. “It’s just that they haven’t been tested.”

At a Broward County Commission meeting Tuesday, commissioners discussed requiring more wipedowns at county facilities, including libraries and buses. They also discussed asking cab drivers and Uber drivers to do the same.

“I’m recommending a much more aggressive program,” Commissioner Mark Bogen said.

In Palm Beach County, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said his agency has bought 4,000 protective suits to safeguard deputies who work on the road and in jail, as well as any staff who comes into contact with the public.

The state Health Department also is working on a protocol to ensure that when a 911 call is made, dispatchers determine if they’re heading to where someone has or may have coronavirus.

Broward’s state of emergency declaration will allow Henry, the county administrator, to request supplies from the state and avoid the constraints of regular day-to-day purchasing. An example could be getting deliveries of hand sanitizer. The state of emergency also allows her to limit and cancel big events. “We would consider doing that,” she said.

Could that happen? “Not now, but we’re looking at it.”

Two major cruise ships, both part of the Princess Cruises line, were temporarily blocked from entering the port because of concern about the disease.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who had been highly critical of the Florida Department of Health’s response, issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the department for failing to release information as quickly as possible.

“Florida’s top health officials continue to fail in providing the public and potentially affected individuals with timely, transparent and consistent information,” she said. “This raises more questions about what other information is not being shared in a timely manner.

“This lack of public candor is unacceptable, and worse, it is potentially dangerous. We will continue to demand answers to ensure public safety remains the top priority at all levels of government. At this point we are not convinced it is.”

People who traveled through Port Everglades and feel sick are asked to call the Broward County Health Department or their doctor and isolate themselves for 14 days.