
Paradise Valley Golf & Country Club in Paradise, FL has been closed due to Zika outbreak
Paradise Valley Country Club has been temporarily closed after the state’s Department of Health confirmed a case of Zika in its membership list.
The golf club announced in a statement that the club will be closed Wednesday for maintenance and is in the process of assessing the potential impact to its operations.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our employees and guests who are impacted by the outbreak and are receiving support through our state-funded health care plan,” the statement read.
“We are taking the necessary steps to provide support for those affected and will provide updates as we learn more.”
The Club’s president and chief operating officer, Chris Johnson, said in a message that the company will reopen in a week or two, but it’s not yet clear when that will be.
Paradise Valley is the only golf resort in the state that has had to close its gates.
The resort is a major hub for the Zika outbreak, with more than 50 percent of all Zika cases occurring at the resort.
Johnson said he and the golf club’s executive vice president have been in regular contact with state officials.
“I was notified of the Zika infection, which was confirmed today,” Johnson wrote in the message.
“It is my expectation that the resort will reopen at the earliest possible time.”
The Paradise Valley community has had the most Zika cases, with a record-breaking 38,936 cases reported statewide in October.
The disease has spread rapidly, with the first cases reported in early October.
A new outbreak has been reported at the golf resort.
Paradise and the surrounding communities of Paradise Valley, Paradise Valley Hills and Paradise Valley Ranch have been on lockdown since October.
“This is an emergency,” said Paradise Valley County Supervisor Ron Clements, who represents the area.
“There is no other way to describe it, but we have a situation where our lives depend on it.”
According to the Department of Environmental Protection, the state has recorded more than 13,000 cases of the virus in its last five days.