Miami Beach Issues Stay-At-Home Order, More Cities Expect to Follow

The City of Miami Beach city manager has officially issued a “safer at home” emergency order, effective as of today, March 24, at 12:01 a.m. to help stop the ongoing threat of the novel coronavirus.

Last week, City of Miami mayor Francis Suarez — who tested positive himself for COVID-19 and has since been quarantined — and Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Gimenez officially announced that all restaurant dining rooms and bars must be closed until further notice. While Miami-Dade county and the City of Miami haven’t put in place official stay-at-home orders yet, but are expected to later this week, according to the Miami Herald. As for its effect on restaurants and bars, they can still offer takeout, drive-through, drive-in, and delivery services — so not much has changed.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also announced sweeping changes last week for the state as a whole asking that all bars and nightclubs be suspend service for 30 days, restaurants must limit capacity to 50 percent, and all restaurant employees must be screened for the virus, according to NBC 8. He is also getting continued pressure to put the entire state under a stay-at-home order as there have been 1,227 cases diagnosed within the state. So far he has said he has no plans to do so.

Update: March 24, at 9:20 a.m.: This story was originally published on March 17 at 7:30 a.m.. It has been updated throughout to reflect the latest information.

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