COVID-19: Miami Beach declares State of Emergency to control spring break crowd

Police have declared a state of emergency in the Miami Beach area and enforced 8 p.m. curfew this weekend due to the "overwhelming" spring break crowd amid the coronavirus surge. Authorities also detained more than 1,000 party-goers who refused to adhere to social distancing or wear masks, but instead, the unruly crowd ransacked properties, destroyed restaurant furniture, and clashed with the police on the streets. Along the entertainment hub Miami’s famed South Beach, officials imposed restrictions ordering clearance of streets, threatening a curfew that could extend as long as April, according to sources of local abc7. 

Law enforcement officers from at least 4 agencies and the SWAT teams were seen chasing the unruly mob hitting them with a baton, asking restaurants to stop the outdoor seating entirely. Many non-essential local businesses were ordered to shut down which was encouraging the uncontrolled public assembly. At a presser, city Manager Raul Aguila told reporters that more than half of the arrests made by the Miami law enforcement officers were from outside the state who had entered in the area, engaging in “lawlessness” and an “anything-goes party” attitude. Further, he noted, the crowd in large number indulged in congregating alongside streets, boozing and breaking protocols, most of whom were not even seen dining at the restaurants. 

Officers in bullet-proof vests and riot gear patrolled the palm-tree-lined Ocean Drive in the army-like vehicle, although the mob outnumbered them. As they struggled to disperse the crowd, a violent confrontation and physical engagement broke out between the police and party-goers. Police then restricted the pedestrians and outside vehicles from entering the area. For several hours, the spring break crowd was dealt with force as officers pepper-sprayed the reluctant crowd that jumped on the cars, threw money in the air, and danced disregarding the police’s warnings. 

“When hundreds of people are running through the streets panicked, you realize that’s not something that a police force can control,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told reporters, including AP’s.  He added, as the pandemic is still very much there, he had trouble “sleeping at night”, worrying about the out-of-control parties and crowd gathering in large numbers.

No-mask mandate

Florida has no mandatory mask rule into effect, and the state’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has refused to slash the establishments’ capacity or impose limitation on gatherings due to his anti-lockdown or restrictions stance. “I think there are very few places that have been open as our state have been open,” Gelber was quoted saying by AP. “We’re in the middle of a pandemic. The virus is still very present in our community. We have 1,000 infections a day on most days.”