The cities of Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale are closing their beaches to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Officials with the two South Florida cities that see massive spring break crowds every year announced additional measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In Fort Lauderdale, officials are a closing of the beach from Harbor Beach to Oakland Park Boulevard. In Miami Beach, officials are closing the beach from 5th to 15th Street, including Lummus Park, beginning Monday.
Mayor Dean Trantalis extended the city of Fort Lauderdale's Declaration of Emergency Regulations to include the following additional measures, effective Sunday and continuing through April 12:
- All public gatherings of any type, whether organized or otherwise, of greater than 250 persons are prohibited;
- All bars, nightclubs, and restaurants are mandated to close for business daily at or before 10 p.m. and remain closed until at least 6 a.m. the following day;
- All bars, nightclubs, and restaurants must reduce and limit their occupancy by 50% during all hours of operation;
- All public beaches in the city of Fort Lauderdale will be closed from the Atlantic Ocean to the easternmost sidewalk of A1A or to any right-of-way or property line abutting the beach, and from Oakland Park Boulevard south to Harbor Drive; and
- All city recreational facilities will be closed.
Starting Monday, Miami Beach will implement the following measures:
• All public beaches from 5th Street through and including 15th Street will be closed.
• Lummus Park will be closed.
• All non-essential businesses within the territorial limits of the City of Miami Beach shall be required to close by no later than 10 p.m. on March 16 (including weeknights and weekends). The term "non-essential businesses" shall exclude the following: pharmacies, grocery stores, convenience stores, private offices, banks, hotels, hospitals, medical service providers, medical supply stores, hardware stores, gasoline service stations, and automotive supply/repair centers.
• A curfew is hereby established within the boundaries of the MXE district (bounded by 5th Street on the South, 16th Street on the North, Washington Avenue on the West, and Ocean Drive on the East). The curfew will be in effect daily from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and shall include but not be limited to the prohibition on pedestrian and vehicular movement, standing and parking, except for the provision of designated essential services such as fire, police and hospital services, including the transportation of patients thereto, utility emergency repairs, and emergency calls by physicians.
• All city-owned parking garages and city-owned surface parking lots shall be closed to the general public (except for permit and access card holders).
