Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced Monday he will order all Miami restaurants to close for in-person dining after more than 21,000 new coronavirus infections were confirmed in Florida over the weekend.
“I am continuing to roll back business openings as we continue to see a spike in the percent of positive COVID-19 tests and an uptick in hospitalizations,” Gimenez said.
Restaurants will continue to provide take-out and delivery options, but dining rooms will be closed. Gimenez will also order all ballrooms, banquet facilities, party venues, gyms and fitness centers, and short term rentals to close.
“These closings, among others that will be included in the order, will be effective Wednesday, July 8, 2020,” Gimenez said. “We want to ensure that our hospitals continue to have the staffing necessary to save lives.”
Beaches will reopen Tuesday as planned, but the mayor said he is ready to order beaches to close if they become too crowded. The Florida Department of Health reported more than 11,400 infections on Saturday and about 10,000 on Sunday, bringing the statewide case count to over 206,000. The number of infections in the United States has surpassed 2.8 million as of Monday morning.
Previously, Gimenez implemented a countywide curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly starting July 3 for all residents except for “essential workers, workers traveling to or from their job, workers making deliveries from essential businesses, and people walking their dogs within 250 feet of their residence.” He also mandated that people wear masks in public places.
