The extension of state emergency has been planned by Miami Beach to control the crowds of the spring break in the wake of rising cases of coronavirus.
Melissa Berthier the spokesperson of Miami Beach, has said that it is expected that the extension will be announced on Tuesday and a curfew will be imposed from Thursday night to early Monday. She also said that an extension might be considered each week considering the situation.
The interim city manager has been authorized by the City Commission to extend the state of emergency in increments of one week through April 13.
The police of Miami Beach have reported that more than a thousand people have been arrested this spring break season and guns around a count of 80 have also been seized.
Richard Clements, the Police Chief, says that the problem intensified the previous Monday as a very large crowd caused the Ocean Drive block to have an impromptu party on the street. As a result, many fights broke out that invited dangerous stampedes.
Mayor Dan Gelber says that Miami Beach Police truly have too much disorder to handle amid the spring break. According to him, the most crucial problem is the simultaneous happening of many things at one time which makes it extremely challenging and makes the circumstances hard to manage. He further asserted that too many people come out knowing there’s a pandemic going on.
The Mayor says he remains worried and stays up at night fearing any call that would tell him the occurrence of an unpleasant incident.
Raul Aguila, the interim City Manager, has said that there were many people from other states coming to engage themselves in the lawlessness happening at Miami Beach.
The modified state of emergency is said to be implemented on the last four days of the week until the 13th of April. The emergency will limit the traffic on 3 causeways that lead to South Beach to keep people driving onto the victimized island. Moreover, a curfew has also been imposed in Miami Beach’s entertainment district from 8 PM to 6 AM and the sidewalk dining will be closed from 7 PM to 6 AM.
Gelber has said that the tourists must be disappointed with the decision but that is not what he is concerned about at the moment. According to him, the directive of safety and public health is of crucial importance since Miami Beach ceased to have tourists that were well-behaved and the behavior of such kind is truly not wanted amid pandemics.
