The City Of Miami Will Enforce The County's Curfew: Report

MIAMI, FL — Miami city commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to begin enforcing the countywide curfew early Saturday, NBC 6 South Florida reported.

Miami-Dade County has had its curfew in place since the start of the pandemic though its timeframe has been updated at various points. The curfew currently runs nightly from midnight to 6 a.m.

The city of Miami hasn’t been aggressively enforcing the curfew in recent months. Now, the city will enforce the curfew, as well as mask wearing and social distancing, reports said.

The resolution to enforce the curfew and other safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 was introduced by Commissioner Joe Carollo at Thursday’s commission meeting, reports said. He said the CEO of Jackson Health System had reached out to him about the increasing number of coronavirus cases in South Florida.

“He feels that if we don't do anything, in 10 days, we're going to be overwhelmed in our hospitals,” Carollo said.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who tested positive for the coronavirus after Thanksgiving, applauded the city’s move towards enforcing the curfew.

“I commend (the city of Miami) for its commitment to working in partnership with #OurCounty to ensure the health and safety of our residents and businesses,” she tweeted Thursday. “To get through this crisis, we need to stand together as a united Miami-Dade community.”

Miami Beach’s city commissioners, who met on Wednesday, had some different ideas about the countywide curfew, the Miami Herald reported. They thought residents could use a temporary break from it.

Though Miami Beach commissioners decided the city should remain in a state of emergency at Wednesday’s meeting, they also voted to ask that the county push curfew back to 2 a.m. for Christmas Eve and New Year’s weekend, reports said.

Commissioner Michael Góngora, who sponsored the resolution, said struggling businesses and residents deserve a break over the holidays.

“I would go that route for that weekend because I think that our community needs to be able to recoup some money and people need to go out and hopefully have a little fun in a responsible way,” he said.

Mayor Dan Gelber, who has been a vocal proponent of masks and other COVID-19 safety measures for the state, was the sole no vote against the measure. Commissioners Micky Steinberg and Ricky Arriola, reports said.

Miami-Dade County has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the state, according to Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard. There have been 251,283 total cases and 3,943 deaths in the county since the start of the pandemic.

The DOH reported 11,335 new cases statewide Thursday. Of those cases, 2,240 were reported in Miami-Dade County.