MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Miami Beach commissioner said Sunday that he tested positive for COVID-19, and two other commissioners who appeared at a campaign event with him on Friday stopped campaigning to get tested.
Everyone who attended Friday’s event at the Ocean Drive drag bar Palace wore masks. the Miami Herald reported. Commissioner David Richardson said in a statement that he began feeling “mild” symptoms on Saturday evening, hours after hosting a food distribution event outside the South Shore Community Center in Miami Beach..
Commissioners Daniella Levine Cava, who is running for Miami-Dade County mayor, and Eileen Higgins, who is seeking reelection to the commission, said they were tested at the Hard Rock Stadium site on Sunday. Initial results were negative but they said they will remain isolated until more reliable “PCR” tests come back on Tuesday.
Miami Beach Mayor Mayor Dan Gelber attended the Friday event and said he will get tested on Monday, the newspaper reported.
“I have already reached out to the few people who were around me in the past few days without a mask to encourage them to get tested as soon as possible, and I will continue to work with professionals on contact tracing,” Richardson said in a statement Sunday.
Saturday’s food distribution event was no-contact, and all volunteers wore masks and gloves, the Herald reported. Richardson said there was no contact with participants, as their car windows were rolled up.
“Also, since I am busy managing the events I don’t touch the food that is placed in cars,” Richardson said.
The number of positive COVID-19 tests has been ticking upward in Florida after leveling off following a summer surge. On Sunday, the state’s health department confirmed 2,385 new cases, while reporting 4,471 positive cases on Saturday. That brings the total number of cases to 778,636 since the pandemic began.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.