As the number of COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate continue to rise across all South Florida counties, Broward and Miami-Dade have made the wearing of masks mandatory in public.
In a statement, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the two counties agreed to a “blanket facial coverings” order as to avoid overwhelming smaller hospitals.
“I want to once again reiterate that if everyone follows the New Normal rules of social distancing of at least six feet, wear facial coverings (which can be homemade) and stay safer at home unless they need to go to work or to a store, we can get back to opening up our economy,” Gimenez said in a statement.
Broward County, at the same time, issued an emergency order detailing the same instructions. “It is proven that wearing facial coverings slows the spread of COVID-19. We must all take personal responsibility to stop further spread of this virus and end this pandemic. Please follow the orders and the CDC guidelines,” said Broward Mayor Dale Holness.
Broward’s emergency order also limits hours for restaurants and food establishments. Specifically, no establishment will be permitted to serve alcohol or food for on-site consumption between the hours of Midnight and 5AM. Take out, delivery, drive-through, or pickup will still be permitted.
Miami-Dade had issued a similar order for restaurants, which went into effect on Wednesday.
