South Beach Gets a New Earlier Curfew Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases

Miami Beach’s entertainment district in South Beach now has an 8 p.m. nightly curfew — two hours earlier than the rest of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County — due to a surge in coronavirus cases in the area. The new curfew was put into place on Saturday, July 18.

The order affects businesses located along Ocean Drive, Collins, and Washington Avenues between Fifth and 16th Streets, and between Pennsylvania Avenue and Collins Court, except for the area of Espanola Way between Washington and Pennsylvania Avenues. In addition, the new order closes Ocean Drive to all vehicular traffic and prohibits parking between Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue from Fifth to 15th street at 6 p.m. daily.

All businesses in these areas — including restaurants, cafeterias, and food service establishments — must close from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, and are not permitted to have takeout or curbside services after those hours — only delivery services are allowed. The rest of Miami Beach remains under the curfew imposed by Miami-Dade County of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The new regulations come as South Beach has been an area of concern for local lawmakers and residents who say businesses have been ignoring social distancing protocols in traditionally busy areas like Ocean Drive. More cops have been deployed to help enforce these safety measures like mask wearing, social distancing, and dispersing of large crowds.

This new measure comes after a wave of curfews in South Florida over the past month in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus in the area. Florida continues to be a hotspot for the virus, with 12,478 positive cases reported in the state yesterday, July 19, with 3,212 being in Miami-Dade County.

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