News

Miami and Miami Beach Limit Business Hours to Curb Coronavirus Spread

The City of Miami has declared a state of emergency and is ordering all non-essential businesses to close by 11 p.m. to curb the spread of coronavirus.

By Alexi C. Cardona

March 15, 2020

Nonessential businesses will have limited hours in Miami and Miami Beach. Photo by Angel Valentin/Getty Images

[
        {
          "name": "Editor Picks / STN Combo",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

After declaring a state of emergency last week, the City of Miami today announced that all nonessential businesses must close by 11 nightly to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Beginning tomorrow, only pharmacies, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, hotels, hospitals, and similar establishments can be open past 11 p.m., according to an emergency declaration signed by City Manager Art Noriega at 5:30 p.m. today.

Nonessential businesses will be allowed to reopen at 5 a.m. daily. The declaration also prohibits price gouging and sets occupancy limits for businesses.

No business will be allowed to operate if the total occupancy exceeds 50 percent of its existing occupancy limit. Businesses can avoid the prohibition if they immediately reduce their occupancy loads by 50 percent, according to an amended declaration of local emergency.

Businesses with a normal occupancy of 500 people or more will not be allowed to operate if more than 250 people are present.

The City of Miami Beach is implementing similar restrictions. Beginning tomorrow, all nonessential businesses must close by 10 p.m. daily. The city also announced a curfew for its entertainment district from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. There will be a "complete closure" of beaches from Fifth to 15th Streets until further notice, according to an email from the city.

Keep

Free

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1.