MARATHON, FLA. (WSVN) - There are no coronavirus cases in the Florida Keys as of Wednesday, but that does not mean residents do not have concerns over what some people on the island chain are doing.
Growing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic have led to strict regulations in the Florida Keys.
“We’re following the governor’s directives to the letter,” Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Tuesday that all bars and nightclubs in the state would be closed for the next 30 days, and restaurants have to limit their dine-in customer capacity by 50%.
Esperanza Mendoza works at a restaurant in Marathon.
“I’m scared about the coronavirus,” Mendoza said. “We don’t have too much customers coming here. They need to close the restaurant. I’m really scared.”
She said the restaurant is taking precautions, like limiting capacity, distancing customers and cleaning more often, but Mendoza believes they should take a more aggressive approach, similar to what’s being done in Key West.
“In the City of Key West, they have gone a step further and are not just limiting capacity of their restaurants, but limiting them to take-out,” Shannon Weiner, the Director of Emergency Management for Monroe County, said.
However, enforcement has been a challenge, and all the recent visitors have not made it any easier.
Gastesi said things will be changing soon.
“Not only are we picking up spring breakers, but we’re also picking up the cruise industry folks,” he said. “They are going to get the same directives that we all have and will probably start to leave here soon.”
Meanwhile, Weiner said hospitals are ready should cases of the virus appear in the county.
“The hospitals have, what they call surge, where they prepare for overflow, and influx of patients,” she said.
Monroe County is expected to open its first drive-thru testing location at the Marathon Health Center. The testing will happen Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon.
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