Coronavirus

Miami Imposes Overnight Curfew To Stop The Spread Of The Coronavirus

The city of Miami decided to institute a curfew because people weren't following shelter-in-place or social distancing guidelines.

Miami Imposes Overnight Curfew To Stop The Spread Of The Coronavirus
Newsy

"A curfew will be enforced between 10 [p.m.] and 5 a.m. in the city of Miami. Between these hours you are ordered to stay at home," Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said.

Miami started enforcing an overnight curfew on Friday in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Miami isn't the first city to institute a curfew, but it's likely the biggest. About 470,000 people live within the city limits.

"There was a lot of instances in the past weeks that many people were not paying attention to it. In certain areas of the city of Miami, it was 1 o'clock and they were partying," City Commissioner Manolo Reyes said. 

Miami City Commissioner Manolo Reyes told Newsy the 10 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew will be in effect for at least seven days. After a week, officials will decide if the emergency declaration needs to be extended. Enforcement is up to the Miami Police Department.  

"They will give you a warning. And they have the authority, if they catch you again, to give you a ticket," Reyes said.

Miami was already under a shelter-in-place order, but the curfew further restricts why people can leave their homes. The exceptions include driving to and from work at essential businesses, medical emergencies, and food delivery services. 

There's also an exception for dog walkers, but people must stay within 250 feet of their home or building. So for this apartment complex here, that means dog walkers can only go about as far as this fire station during curfew hours.