In a bid to curb the growing number of coronavirus cases in South Florida, Miami-Dade County will impose a curfew starting at 10 p.m. Friday.
The announcement of the curfew by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez came on the same day that health officials reported more than 10,000 new cases across the state, a record.
“This curfew is intended to prevent people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has shown that it is spreading the virus rapidly,” Giménez said in a statement, adding that the night restriction would be in effect until further notice. .
The county curfew will be 10 p. M. A 6 a. M., But there are exceptions for people, including first responders and hospital and food delivery workers. Miami Beach, which is located in Miami-Dade County, announced a citywide curfew on Wednesday from 12:30 am to 5 am
Giménez said that in addition to imposing a curfew, he is also “revoking” the reopening of entertainment venues, including movie theaters, bowling alleys and casinos under county control.
Officials in Florida and elsewhere have tried to impress younger people on the risk they face in resuming their normal social lives amid the pandemic, something the Mayor of Miami-Dade County seemed to mention.
“I don’t want to close all the businesses except the essential ones, but the only way to avoid it is for everyone to take COVID-19 seriously,” said Giménez. “That means every generation, every one of us, no exceptions.”
The moves come after the South Florida beaches were ordered to close over the holiday weekend. Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties, as well as the city of Key West and other communities in that region, have closed all beaches, authorities said.
On Thursday, the Florida Department of Health announced 10,109 new cases of COVID-19, as well as 67 additional deaths.
Miami-Dade County has had more than 40,000 COVID-19 cases, the majority in the state, with more than 1,000 deaths, according to numbers from the state health department. Altogether, it is followed by Broward and Palm Beach counties.
The three counties are among those that have also required masks to be worn in public places.
Overall, Florida has had more than 169,100 cases and 3,617 deaths, according to the state health department.
On Thursday, the Texas governor, whose state, among others, is seeing an increase in coronavirus cases, reversed course and issued a state-wide mask order. The Kansas governor also issued a state order requiring masks in public places.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declined calls to do so. He has said that the state was providing guidance and trusting people to make good decisions, and that decisions about mask requirements rest with local governments.
Florida banned alcohol consumption in bars across the state on Friday in response to the increasing number of cases.
Nineteen states have reversed or paused planned reopens amid the pandemic. More than 2.7 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States, with more than 129,600 disease-related deaths, according to the NBC News count.
