Miami-Dade County officials have agreed on a June 1 target date to reopen the county’s beaches and hotels.
The announcement from county Mayor Carlos Giménez came after a virtual meeting between Giménez and city managers of the county’s coastal cities. While Broward County will reopen its beaches and hotels on May 26, Miami-Dade leaders said that they wanted to avoid any Memorial Day gatherings in the county.
“We have to exercise some measure of caution because there is a natural tension between crowds and physical distancing,” Miami Beach Mayor Gelber said. “How do you manage that in a pandemic? The answer is carefully. We know that Memorial Day is a traditional time for everybody to go to the beach and if we saw hundreds of thousands of people on our beaches, it would be a disaster.”
Since March, hotels across the county have only been allowed to accept reservations from essential lodgers. This includes first responders, medical personnel and those unable to stay in their homes for reasons beyond their control.
Miami Beach hotels, meanwhile, have been closed to all guests since March.
Giménez’s statement did not specify what additional travelers the hotels would be allowed to accept, only that restrictions would be eased.
June 1 would also mark the opening date for the county’s beaches, which have also been closed since March, according to the announcement.
Miami-Dade retail businesses, office buildings and salons, along with some other nonessential businesses, were allowed to open last week at limited capacities. Restaurants in Miami, Miami Beach and Miami Gardens, however, will not reopen until May 27.
