Miami mayor closes restaurants again after spike in COVID-19 cases

July 7, 2020

Miami mayor closes all restaurants again after a spike in COVID-19 cases and warns that beaches will also be shut if crowds keep ignoring social distancing

Miami Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed an emergency order closing the county’s restaurants and related facilities due to a spike in COVID-19 cases
Florida, according to the state’s Department of Health, has now surpassed Arizona with the steepest and most alarming rise in cases in the US
Miami-Dade, which has 2.8 million residents, had a record 2,418 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday when Florida also reached a new high of 11,458 cases
The county on Monday had another 1,981 cases reported and that the tally of total deaths blamed on the virus had reached 1,051 people
State health officials reported on Monday that there were 6,336 confirmed cases in Florida of the coronavirus, which was blamed for 3,778 deaths
The county’s beaches, which were closed over the Fourth of July weekend, are set to reopen on Tuesday, but they may close too if social distancing is lax

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed an emergency order Monday closing the county’s restaurants and other related or similar facilities due to a continued spike in COVID-19 cases.

Gimenez said restaurants, as well as ballrooms, banquet facilities, party venues, gyms and fitness centers, and short-term rentals, are to be closed again in Florida’s most populous county under the order which goes into effect on Wednesday.

Most of the affected businesses had been reopened since Florida joined states that aggressively ended their lockdowns during the pandemic about two months ago. Curbside and delivery services will be allowed to continue.

Gimenez explained that the order was necessary ‘to ensure that our hospitals continue to have the staffing necessary to save lives’ as those who are infected and in need of medical attention come in.

The county’s beaches, which were closed over the Fourth of July weekend, are also set to reopen on Tuesday. However, Gimenez warned he will shut them down too if crowds do not practice proper social distancing.

Crowds of visitors walk past restaurants on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on Friday as the Fourth of July weekend kicked off. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed an emergency order Monday closing the county’s eateries due to a continued spike in COVID-19 cases

A couple is pictured entering the Ocean’s Ten restaurant on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. The restaurant and all others in Miami-Dade County will be closed again due to COVID-19 under Mayor Gimenez’s emergency order, which goes into effect Wednesday

A restaurant worker offers hand sanitizer to patrons in Miami’s South Beach on Friday

Patrons are greeted by masked restaurant workers at the Villa Casa Casuarina, located in the former Versace mansion on South Beach. Restaurants are being ordered to close again because of COVID-19l but curbside and delivery services will remain available

The county’s beaches, which were closed over the Fourth of July weekend (pictured), are also set to reopen on Tuesday. However, Gimenez warned he will shut them down too if crowds do not practice proper social distancing

Florida, according to the state’s Department of Health, has now surpassed Arizona with the steepest and most alarming rise in cases in the US.

Miami-Dade, which has 2.8 million residents, had a record 2,418 new cases of the deadly flu-like virus on Saturday. At the time, Florida also reached a new high of 11,458 cases in one day.

The county then confirmed on Monday that another 1,981 cases had been reported to make a total of 48,423, and that its tally of total deaths blamed on the virus had reached 1,051 people.

Across the state, there were 206,447 confirmed cases and a total of 3,778 deaths. Across the country, there have been more than 2.9 million cases and more than 130,000 deaths.

As the number of COVID-19 cases has risen in Florida, hospitals in Miami-Dade and neighboring Broward County are were readying for a new wave of patients. Several medical facilities are freeing bed capacity to ensure all will can seek treatment, WPLG reports.

Gimenez said Miami-Dade was tracking the spike in the number of cases, which involved mostly 18- to 34-year-olds whose infections began in mid-June.

The County’s medical experts say the spike was caused by a number of factors, including young people going to congested areas, both indoors and outside ‘without taking precautions such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing.’

‘Contributing to the positives in that age group, the doctors have told me, were graduation parties, gatherings at restaurants that turned into packed parties in violation of the rules and street protests where people could not maintain social distancing and where not everyone was wearing facial coverings,’ Gimenez wrote in his statement.

The mayor’s order to close up restaurants a second time whiplashed owners, leaving them frustrated and even more worried about the survival of their businesses.

‘We’re burned out emotionally, we’re burned out financially, and we’re burned out from the trauma of seeing everything that’s happening,’ said Karina Iglesias, a partner at the popular downtown Miami Spanish restaurants Niu Kitchen and Arson.

Michael Beltran, chef-partner at Ariete Hospitality Group which owns a handful of other popular Miami restaurants including Taurus, was struggling to come to terms with having to tell most of his 80 employees – many of whom were rehired for reopening – that they would again be unemployed.

The Miami-Dade spike was caused by a number of factors, including young people going to congested areas, ‘without taking precautions such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing.’ Miami Beach was packed in June with unmasked visitors (pictured)

Lines of cars are backed up with people seeking COVID-19 tests in Miami Beach Monday

‘From what they told me I did the proper things (to reopen), and now we’re at this point,’ Beltran said.

Infections are on the rise in 39 states, according to a Reuters tally, and 16 have posted record daily case counts in July.

The alarming surge in daily new cases, which has been averaging around 50,000, has prompted many local leaders, like Gimenez, to consider slowing down or rolling back business reopenings to curb infection rates that are already overwhelming hospitals in some areas.

The alarming surge in daily new cases across the US, which has been averaging around 50,000, has prompted many local leaders, like Gimenez (pictured), to consider slowing down or rolling back business reopenings to curb infection rates

Gimenez tweeted about his new order requiring restaurants and other related facilities closed

‘We can tamp down the spread if everyone follows the rules, wears masks and stays at least six feet (2 meters) apart from others,’ Gimenez said in his statement announcing the emergency order.

Gimenez will allow office buildings, retail stores and grooming services to remain open ‘for now.’

A 10pm to 6am countywide curfew also will remain in effect, but with exceptions for essential workers and people observing religious obligations.

The mayor also encouraged residents to report anyone breaking the rollback rules by calling 305-476-5423-POLICE.

Teatro de Bellas Artes in Miami is pictured with a message on its marquee asking for Mayor Gimenez’s help during the pandemic

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