- Miami-Dade County is imposing a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew ahead of the July 4 weekend.
- The curfew, said Mayor Carlos Gimenez, "is meant to stop people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has been shown to be spreading the virus rapidly."
- The county is also closing casinos, bowling alleys, and strip clubs.
- Earlier in the week, Dr. Mark Supino, a physician at Jackson Health System in Miami, told Business Insider that the uptick in coronavirus cases appeared linked to the policy of reopening.
- "When everything started to open up and ease up, then our volume picked up," Supino said.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Miami-Dade County is closing casinos, bowling alleys, and strip clubs ahead of July 4, with Mayor Carlos Gimenez announcing Thursday that he will also be imposing a 10 pm curfew.
"I agree with my medical advisers that young people and their parents are not taking seriously the New Normal rules," Gimenez said in a July 2 statement. The curfew, which ends at 6 a.m., "is meant to stop people from venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has been shown to be spreading the virus rapidly."
The move marks a reversal for the county, which began allowing non-essential businesses to begin reopening on May 18. That has been linked to a surge in COVID-19 cases; the state on Thursday reported over 10,000 new cases for the first time.
Previously, the Miami Herald reported, Gimenez had criticized public-health curfews imposed in nearby cities. But he imposed one himself after civil unrest related to the police killing of George Floyd.
Earlier in the week, Dr. Mark Supino, a physician at Jackson Health System in Miami, told Business Insider that the uptick in coronavirus cases appeared linked to the policy of reopening embraced by Gimenez and other Republican leaders in the state, including Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"When everything started to open up and ease up, then our volume picked up," Supino said earlier in the week.
Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Inside London during COVID-19 lockdown
https://ift.tt/3dUpOYg