A Keys county commissioner and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19
A Monroe County commissioner who lives in Key West and his wife have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and were both hospitalized on Tuesday.
Commissioner Craig Cates and his wife, Cheryl Cates, were in the hospital Tuesday with the virus, said County Commissioner Michelle Coldiron.
“We are all saying prayers for their speedy recovery,” Coldiron said, as the commission meeting resumed after a break at about 1:50 p.m. “You’re in our thoughts and in our prayers.”
Craig Cates couldn’t be reached Tuesday afternoon.
But Cates on Tuesday sent a statement to the Key West Citizen newspaper saying, “We are currently under the care of a doctor in the hospital. We appreciate the incredible outpouring of support from the community. We ask for privacy as we continue to recover and rest. We send our prayers and best wishes to everyone affected by this virus.”
Monroe County on Monday confirmed 29 additional cases and no new deaths. The county has a known total of 2,839 cases and 25 deaths.
Cates was absent from Tuesday’s county commission meeting, where he was scheduled to be sworn in, having just won election to the office.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Cates to the District 1 post left vacant by Danny Kolhage, who left early. Cates was appointed to serve the rest of Kolhage’s term, which ended Tuesday.
Cates, a Republican, won a four-year term in the Nov. 3 election, beating engineer Annalise Mannix, a Democrat, by taking nearly 59 percent of the vote. Cates was mayor of Key West from 2009 to 2018.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 2:06 PM with the headline "A Keys county commissioner and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19."
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