Miami-Area Beaches To Shut Down Again Amid Coronavirus Surge

MIAMI, FL — Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced late Friday night he plans to shut down Miami-area beaches during the upcoming July 4 holiday weekend and possibly longer in response to the recent surge in coronavirus cases.

"After consulting with our county’s public health experts, I will be signing an emergency order on Saturday to close all beaches in Miami-Dade County starting Friday, July 3, and ending Tuesday, July 7," the mayor said in a statement released Friday night.

Florida experienced its largest one-day coronavirus spike by far on Friday with 8,942 new cases and state officials ordered all consumption of on-premises alcohol suspended at bars statewide.

Related:

• FL Sees Record Coronavirus Spike; Alcohol Sales Suspended In Bars
• Miami's Famed South Beach Reopens With Social Distancing: PHOTOS

"As we continue to see more COVID-19 positive test results among young adults and rising hospitalizations, I have decided that the only prudent thing to do to tamp down this recent uptick is to crack down on recreational activities that put our overall community at higher risk," Gimenez said.

He said his order will also ban any gatherings, including parades of more than 50 people throughout the country for whatever reason between July 3 to 7. He said masks and social distancing will be required with a maximum of five groups of no more than 10 people each.

"The Miami-Dade County Police Department will continue to be out in force this weekend to close establishments that are flaunting the social distancing and masks rules and capacity limits," Gimenez said. "Violators face a second-degree criminal penalty of up to $500 and 180 days in jail."

The mayor of Florida's most populous county said all parks and beaches will also be closed to the public for viewing fireworks in all cities and unincorporated areas of the county.

"Fireworks displays must be viewed from one’s home or parked vehicle," he said.

Miami-area beaches sprang back to life on June 10 after being shut down since March to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

The mayor said county officials are training strategic urban response to guideline education teams to reach out to residents in areas most significantly affected by the virus with testing information, masks and hand sanitizer.

"This new order will be targeting those who are being most irresponsible and endangering our community’s health and our economic recovery," Gimenez added.