The county, which is the seventh most populous county in the US with more than 2.7 million residents, began this week fining residents who do not wear masks in public spaces inside and outside. Tickets are issued by police and law enforcement officers.
The mandate is part of the county’s “New Normal Guidelines”, which in May allowed some companies to reopen but now include stricter measures like the mask mandate and some restaurant closings. Previously, fines were only possible for infractions that occurred within a commercial business. Those fines could amount to $ 500 and land violators up to 180 days in jail.
Miami-Dade County is considered the epicenter of the coronavirus in Florida with a coronavirus positivity rate of 33.5%.
Several Florida cities and counties are imposing stricter coronavirus guidelines after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has refused to order masks statewide or pause the state’s reopening plan. The Florida coronavirus outbreak has exploded since the beginning of summer, with more than 316,000 cases and more than 4,600 confirmed deaths.
Failure to comply with the Tampa City Mask mandate could result in a fine of up to $ 500. Leon and Orange counties, where the state capital Tallahassee and Orlando are located, respectively, have also imposed mask requirements.
The city of Jacksonville, which will soon host a Republican National Convention, has also ordered masks in public. The convention was moved in the spring of Charlotte, North Carolina, after the state’s Democratic governor insisted on safety protocols, including social distancing and wearing masks, that President Donald Trump was unwilling to accept in that moment.
Trump has repeatedly breached the coronavirus social distancing guidelines and has only been photographed wearing a mask in public once, last week during a visit to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, after months of voicing doubts about the effectiveness of the masks. .
Masks and social distancing, or keeping at least six feet away from other people, are considered the most effective methods of preventing coronavirus transmission, a comprehensive study found in June.
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