Miami-Dade declares state of emergency over coronavirus — big events may be canceled
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez declared a state of emergency over the new coronavirus on Wednesday night and said he might use his new authority to cancel large events and close senior centers as the county faced its first discovered case of COVID-19.
Speaking to reporters at Miami International Airport on Wednesday night after a flight back from the nation’s capital to discuss how to keep the cruise industry afloat during the coronavirus crisis, Gimenez said he could decide as soon as Thursday morning whether to cancel opening day for the Youth Fair, which is scheduled to open Thursday afternoon.
“We’re reevaluating whether the Youth Fair can open as planned tomorrow,” he said. “We’re going to take a much more aggressive stance on major events.”
Gimenez said other events being scrutinized are the Miami Open tennis tournament and this weekend’s Jazz in the Gardens concert. He said he would decide whether concerts can continue at the AmericanAirlines Arena after the NBA suspended its season, and said he would look at baseball games at Marlins Park, too.
“You’ll see more and more steps taken,” Gimenez said.
On Wednesday night, the Miami Gardens City Council voted 4-3 not to cancel Jazz in the Gardens, which is scheduled to be held this weekend at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The event attracts tens of thousands.
Gimenez’s comments captured a dramatic escalation of the county’s approach to the coronavirus from just a day ago. On Tuesday, Gimenez said his administration planned to meet with the Youth Fair and other large events to review safety plans and make sure they were able to implement coronavirus mitigation measures.
“There are a number of steps that I now can take because of the declaration of emergency,” Gimenez said before signing the one-page declaration that he said will take effect Thursday morning.
The seven-day declaration does not impose any changes, but states the mayor and his administration have authority to take “whatever prudent actions are necessary” to protect the public from the coronavirus. The declaration ties back to a similar statewide order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis this week.
The potential closing of senior centers is a step Gimenez has talked about publicly for days as a precaution against a virus that is particularly hard on elderly people. He said Wednesday that the county may close day centers and have meals delivered to clients’ homes.
“Our senior citizens are the ones that are most vulnerable,” he said. “We want to put a cocoon around them.”
State health officials Wednesday night confirmed three new cases of the novel coronavirus in Florida, including the first confirmed case in Miami-Dade County, a 56-year-old man who tested positive and had traveled recently.
Gimenez offered limited details about the man, saying he was at home and not hospitalized. He also said the man had been traveling out of the country.
“The only information I have is this was a travel-related case,” he said.
In addition to the Miami-Dade case, there was one case in St. Johns County in North Florida and one in Broward County, bringing the total number of known Florida cases to 26, 23 of whom are Florida residents. The case in St. Johns County is a 63-year-old man who is a New York resident. A woman from Georgia and a woman from California are the other two Florida cases.
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that it was officially declaring the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.
Gimenez’s announcement came as Florida universities moved classes online and the NCAA canceled ticket sales for its “March Madness” basketball tournaments and declared the games would be played to mostly empty stands.
Miami Herald Staff Writer Samantha Gross contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 7:45 PM.