MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Wearing a mask during the coronavirus pandemic has quickly turned from a suggestion into a demand for people going into stores in Miami Beach.
Soon, all employees and customers will be required to wear masks inside grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants. Failure to do so will be considered a misdemeanor.
On Monday morning, people were spotted shopping, walking and exercising on Alton Road and 10th Street with and without masks. The change that went into effect at midnight doesn’t affect you while you’re out in the open air, but as soon as you step foot in a place like a supermarket or a restaurant, your nose and mouth must be covered.
“The vast majority of residents understand that we have to take these measures now to save lives,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said.
If residents fail to comply with the mask rule, they will be turned away.
Monday night, 7News cameras captured shoppers wearing masks and scarves at the Publix on Dade Boulevard, off Alton Road.
“We must wear the masks and the gloves,” said shopper Diana Gonzalez, “and stay home if they tell you to stay home.”
Gelber said residents should not try to source N95 masks that doctors and nurses need. Instead, he wants residents to go into their closets and pull out a scarf or a bandana.
“The order will follow CDC guidelines, which recommend homemade coverings, which includes bandanas and scarves, so please make arrangements,” Gelber said in a recorded address Friday. “There are innumerable ways to comply without needing to purchase medical-grade masks, which candidly, are best reserved for healthcare workers.”
Gelber was quick to point out that wearing masks is in addition to social distancing.
“Remember, these masks reduce risks to others but don’t obviously eliminate it, so please continue to observe social distancing and other measures to keep you and your loved ones safe,” he said. “This is simply about a cloth covering over your nose and mouth. If you have a scarf, a bandana, whatever it is, use it.”
The mask requirement also applies to people making any kind of deliveries.
“It lets everybody know that we’re serious, and we’re after this thing,” David Tawil said.
Meanwhile, 12 Miami Beach Police officers have been assigned to a new quarantine task force. They will be responding to calls about out-of-towners from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Louisiana not following a 14-day state-mandated quarantine.
“It’s part of the ordinance, part of the movement, if you will, to try to limit the spread of the virus,” Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements said. “In New York, it’s very bad right there right now, and we just don’t want that to come down to South Florida.”
With these new rules and police units, local leaders said they are doing everything they can to flatten the curve. However, both the leaders and federal officials said nothing beats social distancing and staying home.
“This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe,” White House Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said.
“Just listen. A lot of people are dying. This is not a joke,” said Gonzalez.
Gelber added that the new mask law will most likely be in place for about a month, and that is because the peak of the pandemic in Florida could be weeks away.
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