The city of Miami Beach declared a
state of emergency
on Saturday
before the thousands of people who have come to this tourist site to enjoy
spring break
.
The mayor, Dan Gelber, has announced a curfew that will begin at 8:00 pm for the city's entertainment district, as well as the closure of the entrance roads to the city from 9:00 pm Both measures they will be effective for the next 72 hours.
"As we reach the peak of the
spring break
vacation
, we are simply overwhelmed," said city manager Raúl Aguila at a news conference.
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As of this Saturday, South Florida reported more than 2 million cases of coronavirus, with 5,105 infections reported this Friday.
This places the region as a high point of contagion in the United States, according to NBC News.
However, the authorities denounced, tourists have filled the streets of Miami Beach to such a degree that
"it looks like a rock concert
.
"
"You couldn't see the pavement and you couldn't see the grass," Aguila said.
Tourists in the Miami Beach entertainment district.EFE
The last few weeks have been filled with
confrontations between the police and tourists
.
On Thursday night, police used pepper spray against a group of
spring breakers
involved in a brawl at a restaurant, according to NBC South Florida.
Additionally, a shooting was reported in Miami Beach that resulted in one person being killed, according to the Miami Herald.
Around 100 people have been arrested, some carrying firearms, so the presence of the police in the streets has increased, according to BBC News.
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Due to crowds and the risk of contagion, the iconic Clevelander South Beach hotel paused its food and beverage service operations, CNN reported.
"Recently, we have become increasingly concerned about the safety of our dedicated employees and valued customers, and the city's ability to maintain a safe environment in the surrounding area," the hotel said in a statement.
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Images from Miami Beach show crowds of young people on the beach and in bars, celebrating
without masks or social distance
.
Specialists have warned that this could lead to a spike in COVID-19 infections in the city.
"We know that the numbers are going down in Florida," Dr. José Gonzales, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Miami, told BBC News, "but the presence of all these people without masks and without keeping their distance is a way of looking for each other. problems".
"Having all these people together increases the possibility that the virus will spread again and the cases will increase."
With information from NBC News, NBC South Florida,
Miami Herald
,
CNN, BBC News
.