MIAMI LAKES, FLA. (WSVN) - Some local leaders and restaurant owners in Miami-Dade County are pushing back against Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s decision to reinstate closures for certain businesses.
Several restaurant owners and local leaders gathered in Miami Lakes on Tuesday morning to express their disapproval of the emergency order and to hear from one another.
Meeting attendees said they are unhappy to hear their dining rooms will once again have to close to patrons on Wednesday.
Restaurant owners at the meeting said they believe they didn’t do anything wrong and have followed all the guidelines imposed on them.
“If this continues to go on for as long as it’s gone on now, and go further, our businesses will shut down permanently,” said Liliana Tudela with Giardino Gourmet Salads. “We don’t want that, As business owners, we don’t want that. This right now is not about greed for us; this is about survival.”
Gimenez’s emergency order comes after weeks of high increases in COVID-19 cases in the county.
On Tuesday alone, another 2,066 COVID-19 cases were reported in Miami-Dade County by the Florida Department of Health.
Those at the meeting also expressed that the contact tracing done doesn’t lead back to their businesses so they don’t understand why they have to shut their doors for a second time.
Restaurant owners are begging and pleading with the mayor to allow them to stay open.
Late Monday night, Gimenez amended his emergency order to allow restaurants to continue serving customers outdoors, but business owners said it is hot and uncomfortable.
The restaurant owners said they are hoping Gimenez will reconsider the order like he did with the gyms being able to remain open.
Some at the meeting also said the back and forth in guidance orders has made the reopening process extremely confusing.
Local leaders and business owners also said they lost faith in the decisions the mayor’s office is making amid the pandemic.
“There is definitely a way to move forward, to make sure that everybody wears their mask,” said Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid. “I think that is the most important point that we can make today. Everybody has to wear their mask, do the right thing, take care of our most vulnerable population.”
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.