Miami-Dade County to roll back business openings

Miami-Dade County, Fla., Mayor Carlos Gimenez has announced an emergency order to close multiple businesses due to a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in the county.

Effective on July 8, Gimenez’s order closes restaurant dining, ballrooms, party venues, banquet facilities, gyms, fitness centers and short-term rental properties, according to a statement from the mayor.

“At this time, I plan to keep open various outdoor activities, including condominium and hotel pools with strict social distancing and masks rules, as well as summer camps and child daycare centers with strict capacity limits, requiring masks and social distancing of at least 6 feet,” Giminez said in the statement.

Gimenez said that beaches will be open on July 7, but he threatened to close them again if people did not follow public health rules, per the statement. A 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. county-wide curfew that excludes essential workers and people with religious obligations will remain in place.

The county is tracking an uptick of COVID-19 cases among 18- to 34-year-olds that started in mid-June, Gimenez said. Medical professionals said that young people going to crowded places without taking proper precautions was a factor that contributed to the spike, according to the statement.

As of July 6, Miami-Dade County has the most COVID-19 cases (48,992) and COVID-19-related deaths (1,051) of all counties in Florida, Miami TV station WPLG reports. The county had a record 2,418 new COVID-19 cases on July 4.

Florida as a whole, set a nationwide record for most coronavirus cases in one day on July 4, with 11,458 cases, CNN reports. The state passed 200,000 COVID-19 cases on July 5.

“We can tamp down the spread if everyone follows the rules, wears masks and stays at least six feet apart from others. I am counting on you, our 2.8 million residents, to stop the spread so that we can get back to opening our economy,” Gimenez said in the statement.