03/20/2021 21:53
Clarín.com
Trips
Updated 03/20/2021 9:53 PM
The party in
Miami Beach
, United States, was shortened for the second year in a row.
Last March, it was because of the pandemic that was beginning.
This year, the illusion that the coronavirus is under control
brought so many tourists to Florida
that it was once again necessary to close the door.
The crowd is so
uncontrollable
and the damage so much that the authorities decreed a
state of emergency and a curfew
on Saturday
.
"It's been a lot of fun here, you know, in this warm weather, this beach," said John Perez, a 22-year-old student from Texas, who was having a few beers with a group of friends on the sand, despite best efforts. from the police for preventing the consumption of alcohol on the beach.
The crowd is so uncontrollable and the damage so much that the authorities decreed a state of emergency and a curfew on Saturday.
Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP
However, after episodes of violence and vandalism increased in recent days, the authorities decided that visitors should leave the streets and that restaurants close their doors at 8 p.m.
This will be in the
main tourist areas of South Beach,
the epicenter of the Miami Beach party.
Closed bridges
In addition, the
three bridges
that connect the island with the mainland will be
closed to traffic
from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Only residents, workers and hotel guests will have access
.
"This is a matter of public safety," said acting city administrator Raúl Aguila, announcing the measures.
The measures come after weeks of intense partying in Miami Beach, which is no stranger to uncontrollable crowds of tourists.
Photo: Al Diaz / Miami Herald via AP
Referring to photos showing crowds gathering along
Ocean Drive
, he added: "That looked like a rock concert, you can't see the pavement, you can't see the grass."
Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements said he is concerned the situation will become unmanageable.
"On Thursday hundreds of people ran at one point and threw tables and chairs as weapons," he said.
"We expected it to be a one-time event, but last night there were three such situations and a young woman was injured."
The measures come after weeks of intense partying in Miami Beach, which is no stranger to the uncontrollable crowds of tourists: every year, in March, this small island hosts thousands of students from all over the country who come to spend their vacations in spring.
But this year, with about
one in 10 residents
in the United States
receiving at least one dose of the vaccine
, the air is particularly festive.
At night, people practice everything except social distancing, in a kind of "crazy 20s" that anticipate the post-pandemic.
"Go get vaccinated so you can come here and have a good time like us because we got vaccinated," said Jalen Rob, another student vacationing at the beach.
"Vaccination 2021! Point!".
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber commented on Saturday when announcing the curfew that "
the volume of people is clearly higher than in previous years."
"I think it is partly due to the fact that there are few open places in the rest of the country, or they are very cold, or they are closed and they are also very cold."
In recent days, images of fights in restaurants that left serious damage have been viralized.
One of the most iconic venues on Ocean Drive, the Clevelander, announced on Friday that it was closing its restaurants and bars and would keep only the hotel running.
AFP
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