Coronavirus

Key Biscayne will be closed to all visitors starting Monday because of coronavirus

The Village of Key Biscayne will be closed to all tourists and visitors starting at 12:01 a.m. Monday, officials announced late Sunday.

There are some exceptions though: anyone providing “essential” government functions, workers traveling to or from an “essential business,” and non-resident property owners going to and from their properties, records show.

The village joins Monroe County, which also announced Sunday it would ban all visitors from the Florida Keys in hopes of preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Last week, Key Biscayne became the first municipality in Miami-Dade County to implement a citywide curfew in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

Mayor Mike Davey announced the curfew would be in effect daily between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. until further notice, with a few exceptions.

“Under the curfew no person shall be outside during curfew hours unless such person is providing police, fire, or other governmental services, providing assistance expressly requested by police, fire, or the Village, or participating in, going to, or returning from work,” Davey said.

Key Biscayne’s curfew and visitor ban goes beyond what Miami-Dade County authorities have mandated so far to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has ordered restaurants, bars and clubs to close by 11 p.m. except for takeout and delivery.

Davey said village officials have been asking restaurants in Key Biscayne to close a bit earlier, around 9 p.m.

Monique O. Madan
Miami Herald
Monique O. Madan covers immigration and enterprise; she previously covered breaking news and local government. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald and The Dallas Morning News. In 2019 she was a Reveal Fellow at the Center for Investigative Reporting. She’s a graduate of Harvard University, Emerson College and The Honors College at Miami Dade College. A note to tipsters: If you want to send Monique confidential information, her email and mailbox are open. You can find all her stories here: moniqueomadan.com. You can also direct message her on social media and she’ll provide encrypted Signal details. Support my work with a digital subscription
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