Miami-Dade County Mayor Announces New COVID-19 Guidelines, Lifts Midnight Curfew

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Monday announced the local midnight curfew will be lifted starting next week, more than nine months after it was first put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Levine Cava revealed the countywide curfew would end the evening of April 12. However, the end of the curfew will come with new COVID-19 guidelines for businesses and residents.

“We developed these new guidelines based on the current status of the COVID response, the availability of the vaccine, the aggressive campaign that we’re mounting,” Levine Cava said at a press conference.

“We considered all the available data, including the 14-day positivity rate, and also hospitalization from COVID and death rates. These have all declined significantly as vaccinations for the most vulnerable has expanded and our overall vaccination program has progressed.”

Levine Cava’s guidelines will replace the “new normal” guidelines that were developed during former Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s time in office, CBS Miami noted. The curfew was initially ordered for 10 p.m. local time but was eventually moved back to midnight.

Until the curfew is lifted, non-essential businesses will have to continue to shut down from midnight until 6 a.m. However, once the new standards take effect, Levine Cava revealed certain protocols will allow public water fountains to run, childcare centers to double in capacity, and senior center programs to resume.

The mayor’s office is expected to publish the new rules before the curfew is lifted. Levine Cava revealed the updated guidelines will focus on social distancing, wearing masks, social distancing, staying at home if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and hand sanitizing.

In Miami-Dade County, more than 795,000 people have already received COVID-19 vaccinations.