MIAMI-DADE COUNTY MAYOR UPDATES RESTRICTIONS
With many of the statewide restrictions being lifted, Miami-Dade Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, released the following press statement on COVID-19 restrictions to clarify what is and is not restricted locally in Miami-Dade County:
Miami-Dade County is complying with Executive Order 20-244 under the statewide opening rules set forth by Governor Ron DeSantis, while keeping in place elements of the County’s orders that protect the residents of Miami-Dade County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are providing links to the County’s revised Orders, in keeping with the Governor’s Order 20-244, here.
Please review the County’s revised New Normal Guide here for the updated rules as they pertain to a particular business.
All businesses, including essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and construction companies, must continue to comply with the County safety rules as outlined in the updated Guide to help prevent the spread of the virus.
MASKS & DISTANCING
At minimum, all businesses should ensure masks are worn by employees and the public at all times, and that work areas and showrooms are set up to promote physical distancing of at least 6 feet.
RESTAURANTS, BARS & CLUBS
In keeping with the Governor’s Order, the County’s 50 percent capacity limits for restaurants will remain in place as a minimum, with the expansion of more than 50% capacity allowed for restaurants and other venues that can accommodate more tables while also keeping a 6-foot separation between tables. Restaurants can reach 100 percent capacity by including outdoor table service where practicable. The maximum seating per table indoors or outside continues – no more than six people per table or up to ten from the same household.
For restaurants and bars that do not have sufficient floor space for tables to reach the 50 percent capacity minimum, they will be allowed to set tables closer together to reach the 50 percent minimum.
Bars with only counter service will be allowed to reach 50 percent capacity with seating that is separated at the bar as far as possible between parties being served to reach a minimum of 50 percent capacity.
Clubs that include dancing must require that masks be worn on the dance floor. Eating and drinking will be allowed only at tables.
CURFEW & FINES
Miami-Dade County will continue its 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. countywide curfew for the time being in an effort to curtail late-night activities that facilitate the spread of the virus.
Violators will be cited with a second-degree criminal misdemeanor that sets a maximum $500 fine and/or 180 days in jail.
Per the Governor’s Order suspending all fines and penalties applied to individuals for violating the County’s COVID-19 public health orders, Miami-Dade County will continue to issue civil citations for individuals not wearing masks and will process fines and penalties as permitted.
“Throughout this pandemic, Miami-Dade County has taken measured steps guided by the Centers for Disease Control, the Florida Department of Health and our local medical experts that include epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said. “As our infection rates continue to drop below 5 percent and our hospitalizations continue to decline, I am proud of the community’s response in helping tamp down the spread of this virus.
“I am grateful for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ leadership and partnership that has enabled Miami-Dade County and all of South Florida to be part of the Governor’s statewide reopening of all businesses. Many people are suffering, and I have been working hard to get us to the right conditions to open up our economy.
“I want to stress that we are at a critical juncture to continue to save lives and get our economy moving forward. Even as all businesses are being opened, everyone must continue to take personal responsibility and wear facial coverings in public places, stay at least six feet away from others and wash their hands often to stop the spread of the virus, particularly to protect those with high-risk medical conditions and our senior citizens.
“We want to continue to celebrate the gains we have made on the public health front, keep our hospitals operating efficiently to be able to care for all patients and not have to revert back to emergency closures because of a spike that overwhelms our health care system.
“Together, we are respecting one another by following the public health rules and are getting people back to work safely.”
LOCAL CASES
The Coronavirus continues to spread locally, but it has been at a relatively low and stable rate. There were 29 new cases within zip code 33166 over the last 7 days. That puts the total number of cases within our zip code at 1,787. In Miami Springs, we estimate we’ve had a total of 983 cases of the Coronavirus. That would mean about 7% of the Miami Springs population has, at some point during this pandemic contracted the virus. Conversely, that means 93% of residents have been COVID-19 free.
MIAMI-DADE CASES
Within the county, Miami-Dade cases continue to spread, but at only 10% of the volume we had during the peak we saw in July. Last week, Miami-Dade recorded another 2,628 new cases of the Coronavirus. As you can see below, the rate of new cases has stabilized in September and is down significantly from the highs of July.
Also noteworthy has been the drastic reduction in new hospitalizations of COVID-19 in Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade had just 88 new COVID-19 hospitalizations last week. In August, we saw in excess of 600 weekly new hospitalizations. This is a great sign into the health of our local hospital system.
We hate to report on the new fatalities, but it’s important to track the progress of this rate. We lost another 176 people over the last 7 days to this terrible disease within Miami-Dade County. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve lost 3,231 people to the Coronavirus. That puts the Miami-Dade COVID-19 survival rate at 98.1%.
FLORIDA CASES
The number of new Florida cases continues to slowly trend down. Florida reported 17,449 new cases of the Coronavirus over the last week. As you can see in the chart below, we’ve had a stable September. As a results, Governor Ron De Santis lifted many of the statewide restrictions.
In my opinion, these are very important rules. Of course, people are tired of sitting at home and everyone wants to visit restaurants and cafes, use public transport and visit offices. However, you need to follow their rules. Everyone is obliged to keep their distance, wear masks, etc. This is very important because it can save someone’s life.