By Anna Galaktionov
The coronavirus has become an extreme national emergency, severely affecting South Florida and, as of a March 25 report from NBC6 South Florida, the number of cases in Miami-Dade County totals 367, with Broward County following at 312.
Data from Fox 13 News’ Interactive Florida Map (March 25, 3:37 PM)
Both counties lead the state in number of cases so Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Mayor Carlos A. Giménez of Miami-Dade and Mayor Dale V.C. Holness of Broward, and many other government officials are taking measures to stem the contagious spread of COVID-19.
On March 23, Gov. DeSantis issued an order that all individuals flying from New York, another critically impacted state that is currently on lockdown, must self-quarantine for two weeks. The governor is wary on ordering a statewide lockdown due to the population experiencing serious job loss, and suggests to execute extreme close downs only on the hardest hit areas. Other than this, he issued restaurants to limit service only to takeout and delivery and directed closures of all gyms, bars, and state parks.
Recently ending his self-quarantine for 14 days, Mayor Giménez issued an emergency order mandating all hotels, motels, and lodging places in Miami-Dade, with a few exceptions, to lock their doors. He also ordered that all boat ramps and marinas in county parks to close, even calling police law enforcement to prevent group parties. In addition, Mayor Giménez is working with hospitals to open more testing sites.
By the cooperation of city mayors, Miami Beach and many other cities in Miami-Dade County have passed the “safer at home” order that restricts people to leaving their homes only when in need of groceries, work, medical care, restaurant take-out and banking. All group parties are banned and a curfew is enforced in Miami Beach. As of now, Miami Shores, home of Barry University, did not issue the “safer at home” order, but Barry students that currently reside on campus are urged to not leave their dorms for any reasons other than essential activities.
Mayor Holness is doing his part in Broward County by mandating all non-essential businesses and parks to close. Only businesses such as grocery stores, gas stations, banks and medical services are allowed to remain open, and only one park - being used as a testing site - is open. In addition, the Broward County Transit is requiring bus riders to practice social distancing.
Overall, many other places have closed such as educational institutions, beaches, amenities and gathering locations. To see closures by city, visit NBC6 South Florida at this link. Be aware that the information could be outdated, so the best thing to do to know whether a location is open or closed is to visit its website or contact it directly.
For more information . . .
· The New York Times have a constantly updating map of the U.S, displaying the rising number of cases by county, at this link.
· Wesh2 has continuously updating data on coronavirus cases in Florida at this link.
· NBC6 South Florida has the latest COVID-19 coverage at this link.