Police Throw Pepper Balls To Enforce 2:33 Curfew
(CNN) -
The mayor of Miami Beach said Monday that his "city is a tinder lighter right now" as massive waves of vacationers continue to pour into Florida.
"Well, it kind of looks like our city is a tinder lighter right now," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."
Gelber noted that Florida is one of the few fully open states and "people are coming here in large numbers."
"And when you have these levels of crowds, you can't handle it unless you have huge police surveillance, and all that mixed together creates a lot of danger and a lot of concern," Gelber said, noting that there were cases of fights and shootings.
The Miami Beach city commission on Sunday extended an emergency order declaring a curfew from 8 p.m. ET Thursday through Sunday, until at least March 30.
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People gathered as the 8 p.m. curfew goes into effect on March 21, 2021 in Miami Beach, Florida.
(Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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College students have arrived in the South Florida area for the annual spring break ritual, prompting city officials to impose an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
(Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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Miami Beach police have reported hundreds of arrests and increased deployment to control the growing spring break crowds.
(Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber declared a state of emergency, saying that the crowds that have come to the city are "more than we can handle."
(Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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The mayor of Miami Beach noted that the city is an attractive destination for travelers due to its good weather and open businesses, but it is still facing the pandemic.
1,000 infections are reported daily and between 50 and 100 people are admitted to hospitals each day in Dade County, Mayor Gelber said.
(Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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More than 1,000 people have been arrested in Miami Beach since Feb. 3 when spring break travelers arrived in the city, Miami Beach City Manager Raul Aguila said during an emergency commission meeting on Sunday.
(Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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"Too many come, really, without the intention of following the rules and the result has been a level of chaos and disorder that is more than we can bear," Mayor Gelber told CNN's Ana Cabrera.
(Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
The mayor clarified that the 8 p.m. ET curfew means not only that people cannot be on the streets, but also that bars and restaurants must close as well.
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Gelber said it is problematic that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says "everything is open, come on."
“The problem is that we are still in the middle of a pandemic.
It's still not in the rearview mirror in any way, ”Gelber said, noting that Dade County is still seeing about 1,000 new COVID-19 infections per day.
"People are flocking here in huge numbers," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber says of spring breakers in the area.
"When you have these levels of crowds, you can't really manage unless you have enormous policing, and all of that mixed creates a lot of peril."
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- CNN (@CNN) March 22, 2021
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