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Miami-Dade and the "new normal" by covid-19 5:02
(CNN Spanish) - Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez said he plans to begin reopening the city's metropolitan area on May 18. Giménez indicated that, in a first phase, this process will be done in conjunction with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
"We need the economy to work again, and in the safest way possible," said the mayor in a virtual press conference.
Giménez said the process will likely be similar to that of the 64 counties that have already reopened, where restaurants operate at 25% capacity inside and 50% outside, although he said he will try to study a higher figure with the governor. DeSantis. Regarding non-essential businesses, he said that they could operate at 50% capacity, as long as social distancing is respected.
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While he did not clearly specify what type of businesses they will be able to open on May 18, the Miami-Dade county chief said that "almost all businesses will have the same rules."
He did insist that cinemas and clubs will continue to be closed, as will spas and hairdressers, although in the case of the latter, he promised to look for some type of alternative in conjunction with the state.
Giménez also made it clear that each city can reserve the right not to reopen: "Cities can be stricter than Miami-Dade, but they cannot be less strict."
"As we begin to move towards a new normal and open businesses in the future, I will make sure that there are older people and that anyone at risk is protected," he said.
Fewer infections, more tests
The metropolitan mayor indicated that on Thursday (May 7) there were 582 new infected in the county, "the lowest number since April 4." Those numbers are what support the idea of aiming as soon as possible at what Giménez called “the new normal”.
He also said that there are already two centers available so that children older than 12 years without symptoms can go for the exam. He insisted that the hospitals are at 20% of their capacity and called on the migrant and lower-income communities to get a free test of the covid-19.
Asylum situation
Asked by CNN about the disparity in the numbers of deaths and infections in nursing homes in Florida, Giménez did not want to enter the controversy and avoided polemicizing with the state. He said only that he signed an executive order this week to compel senior facilities to release information daily. "We have over a thousand nursing homes in Miami-Dade. I am sure that some do not comply, but I have not received complaints from family members, ”he said.
After another CNN consultation, Giménez denied that there have been complaints from the county to the state for the allocation of resources to the Miami metropolitan area, the area with the highest number of cases
of infection in all of Florida. In this state, 39,199 cases and 1,669 deaths have already been registered, according to the Florida Department of Health.
coronavirus Miami
