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MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The City of Miami Beach will close Ocean Drive this weekend to promote social distancing ahead of restaurants and retail stores reopening their doors to customers.
City officials said they will be shutting down the street at 7 a.m. on Saturday to give pedestrians and restaurants more room.
“We need to get things back rolling,” Pompano Beach resident Mia Lopez said. “I’m tired of this. I need to go out! Honestly, I think for the people, it’s going to be nice, but I think for business owners and restaurants, it’s probably not going to be the best thing.”
Since restaurants can only operate at 50% capacity while leaving safe social distance between tables, officials said giving extra patio room may help struggling businesses bounce back after being closed for nearly two months.
“Hopefully, they do open it back up, and it’s successful, so that way I can come back in the summer and turn up with my friends,” Skylar Hampton, who is visiting from Atlanta, said.
Over on Lincoln Road, signs have been posted telling visitors not to enter the area if they have a cough or a fever. Markers on the pavement have been placed to remind pedestrians to stand six feet apart.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the outdoor mall will undergo an extensive deep cleaning.
“Rushing into an opening, doing too much too soon, could easily have dire consequences, so we are going to give our business community more time to prepare, and we are going to open in phases,” Gelber said. “We have to open up our economy at some point, but people won’t come out unless they feel safe, so this is really intended to give you the tools to be successful.”
However, not everyone is on board with the city reopening for business.
“I don’t want to be like, ‘Hey, starting tomorrow, we’re going to open up business, but guess what? You can get sick,” Nancy Casas said. “In the process of trying to have fun and getting back to business, you could actually hurt people and kill people, and then, what are you going to do then?”
Closing down Ocean Drive to vehicle traffic is not a new concept. The city frequently shuts down traffic on the iconic street for holiday weekends and major events, such as during Super Bowl weekend.
However, this time will be a little different as Miami Beach embraces its “new normal.”
“It’s almost like a ghost town,” Pompano Beach resident Ego Ferguson said. “We’ve never seen this. It’s like, ‘When are we going to wake up? Is this real?’ It’s like ‘Walking Dead.'”
It remains unclear how long Ocean Drive will be closed for vehicle traffic, as city leaders said the street will be closed indefinitely.
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