"Tomorrow, countywide, new measures will take effect that include closure of all beaches, parks, additional recreational venues, and many businesses," Gelber wrote in a Facebook post late last night. "For our City and community I believe these, though painful, were necessary steps and I let County Mayor Gimenez know I supported them earlier today."
Miami Beach has made national news as spring breakers have continued to party — often unabashedly — on the beach as the virus spreads. Earlier this week, the organizers of Winter Party Festival, an LGBTQ-friendly party that has occurred in South Beach annually since 1994, said a partygoer had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Yesterday the Boston Globe reported that a group of six Boston men flew to Miami for the festival — and four returned positive for COVID-19.
Elsewhere around the county, videos of spring breakers have gone viral as an example of what not to do during the pandemic: namely, drinking to excess in packed bars. In addition to crowding local Flanigan's chains in defiance of social-distancing guidelines, numerous drunk, boneheaded partygoers on Ocean Drive told TV news crews that they didn't fear contracting the disease or spreading it to the vulnerable:
Now Mayor Gimenez has announced he'll sign an order shutting down virtually all businesses in the county — including "non-essential retail, private educational facilities, casinos, and other recreational and entertainment activities" to fight the outbreak.Oh my god. https://t.co/BCalUyQ6Dz pic.twitter.com/qmmaEmQxvt
— Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) March 18, 2020
Gimenez says he'll sign the order sometime tonight.This order will be effective throughout Miami-Dade County and will include all municipal facilities, such as parks and beaches.
— Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez (@MayorGimenez) March 18, 2020
