MIAMI (WSVN) - The new social restrictions put in place throughout South Florida has turned the region from a bustling metropolis into a ghost town.
7News went to some popular spots across South Florida on Tuesday and found the same thing: empty parking lots and barely any people.
“It feels really weird,” Riley Steinhour, a Coral Gables resident, said. “There’s a lot, a lot, a lot of talk about it, and it’s just kind of overwhelming.”
Cameras set up in hot spots like Miracle Mile, Lincoln Road, Las Olas Boulevard and the Hollywood Broadwalk showed sparse crowds on Tuesday. Shopping centers like Bayside Marketplace and Sawgrass Mills also experienced visibly thinner crowds than normal.
“It’s obviously different,” a passer-by said. “Fourteen days, two weeks, one month. What’s the magic number?”
Across South Florida, sidewalks are empty, stores are shuttered, beaches are bare, and the notorious traffic along Interstate 95 and the expressways are non-existent.
7Skyforce hovered over the Florida Turnpike near the Seminole Hard Rock Guitar Hotel in Hollywood where hardly any traffic could be seen on the roadways during normal rush hour times. The traffic along Interstate 595 was also visibly lighter than normal, Tuesday afternoon.
Aerial footage also showed five aircraft belonging to JetBlue being stored at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Jossie Aldridge has been on Miracle Mile for nearly 30 years, and few pedestrians could be seen at a usually busy lunch spot.
“Look at it,” Aldridge said. “It looks like a ghost town. It’s real scary. It’s real scary.”
Aldrige’s boutique, Jossie’s Couture, remained open on Tuesday, but it was empty, and she added that she has never seen anything like it.
Aldridge asked, “If they say it’s going to be until August, can you imagine?”
A hallway in Dadeland Mall was dark and quiet. One after the other, the majority of the stores at the mall were closed, and it was a similar sight at Aventura Mall, both inside and out. A mall usually bustling with tourists and shoppers was empty.
As President Donald Trump urges Americans to stay away from crowds and as more and more companies announce temporary closures, some people are wondering how long this will last.
“I don’t know how much I can hold onto it,” Aldridge said.
Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s announced Tuesday afternoon they will close their doors in the U.S. through the end of March.
Nordstrom has already announced their stores are closed, so it’s unclear how long malls will remain open.
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