Miami-Dade imposes curfew heading into 4th of July weekend

Miami-Dade County in Florida is imposing a curfew heading into the July 4 weekend to try to prevent exacerbating the burgeoning coronavirus outbreak in the state. 

The curfew, starting Friday night at 10 p.m. and lasting until 6 a.m., will be implemented “until further notice,” said Carolos Gimenez, the county’s mayor.

“During curfew hours no one shall use streets or sidewalks for any purpose, except first responders, medical personnel & essential worker going to/from work,” he tweeted. 

#Curfew starts tonight for all of Miami-Dade County, from 10pm-6am nightly, until further notice. During curfew hours no one shall use streets or sidewalks for any purpose, except first responders, medical personnel & essential worker going to/from work. https://t.co/FFM6OL4GtE pic.twitter.com/zE9amNz8u7

— Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez (@MayorGimenez) July 3, 2020

The curfew does not apply to essential workers, and municipalities are allowed to impose more stringent restrictions within their jurisdictions. 

Miami-Dade County already closed its beaches for the holiday weekend amid concerns that gatherings will spark further coronavirus outbreaks. 

Florida, along with other states like Arizona, California and Texas, has seen a massive spike in COVID-19 cases, recording over 10,000 new cases last Wednesday alone.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has taken some steps to try to blunt the virus’s spread, including closing bars and some beaches, though he has not implemented a statewide mask requirement. Several localities have implemented orders requiring people wear masks in public. 

DeSantis has expressed reluctance to reimplement widespread business closures, saying much of the blame for the recent spike lies on younger people who do not adhere to social distancing policies.

“We’re not going back, closing things,” he said this week. “I don’t think that that’s really what’s driving it. People going to a business is not what’s driving it. I think when you see the younger folks — I think a lot of it is more just social interactions, so that’s natural.

“We’re open. We know who we need to protect,” he added. “Most of the folks in those younger demographics, although we want them to be mindful of what’s going on, are just simply much, much less at risk than the folks who are in those older age groups.”