Tourists and residents of Miami Beach will face a pinch to their wallets if they refuse to wear a face mask while in public, the city announced Wednesday.
Starting Thursday, police will issue $50 civil citations to anyone who is not wearing a face covering while outside or in a public space.
“It should go without saying that Miami Beach residents and visitors need to be wearing a mask when in public, and as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across South Florida — city officials are done issuing warnings,” the city said in a news release.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said wearing face masks will help cases decline. The island has been hard hit by the coronavirus, primarily after the state lifted its stay-at-home orders and reopened businesses before most other states. Of Florida’s 370,000 confirmed cases, Miami-Dade County has reported 80,000. Miami Beach has a population of 91,000 and has reported 2,600 cases as of Tuesday.
Last week, Miami Beach implemented an 8 p.m. curfew in an effort to prevent people from going out to clubs and restaurants.
