‘This is apocalypse now.’ The moment Miami began shutting down after pandemic declared
It’s March 11, 2020. Five years ago. The CDC just declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
And South Florida begins to change.
Events and restaurants shut down. Sports leagues suspend play. Offices go remote.
All of us wonder what’s next.
WATCH: A visual portrait of life in Miami-Dade during COVID
Here’s what the Miami area looked like during the first week of that uncertain time, when a growing, deadly and mysterious disease changed the way we worked and lived. Let’s go back through the archives of the Miami Herald for the coverage as it all happened:
Miami shuts down: Events canceled, leaders quarantined as fear of coronavirus grows
March 12, 2020
If there was any semblance of normalcy remaining in Miami-Dade County on Thursday morning, it vanished throughout the day as major events were canceled, cities declared emergencies and high-ranking officials self-quarantined, fearing exposure to the novel coronavirus.
It was a stunning halt of business as usual in a region at the height of its events and tourism season, shaken by the announcement Wednesday night of the county’s first confirmed positive case of the COVID-19 virus and the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global pandemic.
“Ladies and gentlemen, there is going to be a tremendous downsizing of our economy,” Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo said Thursday morning during a commission meeting.
Hours later, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez declared a state of emergency. He also said he was self-isolating after learning an aide to the president of Brazil had tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a reception in Miami with state and local officials, including Suarez.
“If I have any symptoms, I’ll certainly get tested, just like anybody else would,” Suarez said.
County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who declared his own countywide state of emergency Wednesday, also self-isolated because he attended the reception with Brazil’s president, who was reportedly awaiting test results.
The changing narrative in South Florida reflected a more urgent tone from above. In a dramatic escalation of the state’s coronavirus response, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came to Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital Thursday and urged the cancellation of large events statewide.
DeSantis said it was time for Florida to combat the spread of COVID-19 by reducing gatherings and encouraging people to keep their distance from each other.
When the day began, large-scale events like the county Youth Fair, the Jazz in the Gardens music festival and the Miami Open tennis tournament were all still expected to take place this month. But that all changed rapidly.
Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert, who had advocated for Jazz in the Gardens to continue Wednesday night, changed his tune Thursday morning, announcing the event had been canceled.
Gimenez then used his authority at the county level to nix the Youth Fair, the Miami Open, and all concerts at AmericanAirlines Arena — where the remainder of the Miami Heat season was already in jeopardy after the NBA suspended the season.
Meanwhile, the local tourism industry, which had already seen double-digit blows to hotel and airline bookings compared to a year ago, got more bad news. In Miami Beach, where officials had invited college students to spend their spring breaks just one week earlier, Mayor Dan Gelber said Thursday that the city was suspending special-event permits for large gatherings, including spring break concerts in South Beach.
Coronavirus fears close curtain on ‘Hamilton,’ dozens of other South Florida cultural events
March 13, 2020
The national call for “social distancing” spread across South Florida on Friday as fear of the insidious coronavirus began to shut down everyday life at the peak of its touristy winter season.
The region’s big-name entertainment venue, the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, where the smash musical “Hamilton” is the hottest ticket in town, said it would shut down temporarily. So did the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Same with many traditional tourist attractions, such as Miami Seaquarium, Jungle Island, HistoryMiami Museum, and even the biggest destination in the state, Disney World.
Nightclubs and restaurants in Miami Beach did plan to stay open for now — but their occupancy will be limited to less than 250 people.
After states of emergency were declared locally, statewide and nationally, the precautions were being taken to prevent the public’s potential exposure to the virus that causes the flu-like respiratory illness, COVID-19, which is a potentially fatal threat to people with compromised immune systems.
The region’s legal system also will put much of its business on hold. Nearly all state court proceedings will be suspended for at least two weeks, under an order issued Friday by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady. The order will temporarily suspend grand jury proceedings, jury selections and criminal and civil jury trials through March 27.
The biggest impact will clearly be to the state’s main economic engine — tourism.
On Thursday night, Orlando’s Walt Disney World, the most-visited tourist destination in the world, announced it was closing at the end of business on Sunday.
On the bright side, at least Miami’s public parks are open — if you don’t mind enjoying nature solo.
All Miami park permits, including for birthday parties, baby showers, youth soccer, baseball and pool training are canceled for the next 30 days to limit the spread of the coronavirus in the community. The city says it also won’t be approving any new park permits, which are generally given to smaller events and gatherings held by families, groups and clubs for at least the next 30 days.
Beaches in South Beach to close early under coronavirus order aimed at spring breakers
March 14, 2020
The most popular stretches of public beach on South Beach will be closed to the public after 4:30 p.m. beginning Saturday evening under a new emergency measure to tackle the potential spread of the coronavirus.
After Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber declared that spring break in Miami Beach was “over” during a Thursday news conference, City Manager Jimmy Morales enacted emergency measures Saturday to limit the gathering of spring breakers in South Beach by closing the public beaches from Seventh to 10th streets every day at 4:30 p.m.
Miami bars and restaurants brace for closure impacts
March 16, 2020
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the Miami Herald that the city plans to close restaurant dining rooms and bars, only permitting takeout, drive-through, drive-in and delivery to occur. Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County planned to make a similar announcement on Tuesday.
“It will be modeled after Dallas and Los Angeles,” Suarez said in a video call. The mayor, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, has felt mild symptoms while quarantined in his home.
Ani Meinhold, co-founder of the Vietnamese eatery Phuc Yea, said the restaurant has seen a 60 percent drop in overall business, but she has kept her doors open by creating a new menu that’s easier to execute, scaled-back inventory, added curbside pickup and delivery options and lowered the capacity of in-room dining seating.
“We haven’t closed because putting 40 people and their families out of business is a tough call to make,” said Meinhold, who is pitching in and handing out curbside pickups herself. “If we close our doors, we lose all the money. If we do the numbers correctly, we lose less. This is apocalypse now.”
Gov. DeSantis closes bars and clubs statewide for 30 days
March 17, 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced sweeping new restrictions across Florida to tamp down on the spread of the novel coronavirus, ranging from a mandatory last call for bars and nightclubs to ordering all university students to study from home.
Starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday — St. Patrick’s Day — all bars and nightclubs will be closed entirely for the next 30 days, DeSantis said. That will be enforced by Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, but the governor’s office did not provide details on whether businesses that don’t comply will face fines or other penalties.
Specifically, the governor’s executive order states that any business that makes over half its revenue from alcohol sales can no longer sell drinks for the next 30 days. However, the governor’s office clarified that bars that also sell food will be allowed to remain open and only sell food for that period.
Restaurants should only allow 50% capacity at a time and should separate seated customers by a distance of at least six feet, DeSantis said. Restaurants should also screen employees before allowing them to work, and he encouraged Floridians to use take-out and delivery services instead of dining in.
He’s also asking all of Florida’s universities to finish out their spring semesters online, after they had already temporarily made the switch. Four University of Florida students have tested positive for the virus, DeSantis said, adding that at least one had traveled internationally.
This step is designed to encourage students to leave campus and go home, he said, after students on spring break were still congregating at their universities.
Finally, the state is recommending no groups larger than 10 people be allowed at beaches, and each group must be separated by a significant distance.
“This is the floor for Florida for the foreseeable future,” DeSantis said. He said some local areas, such as Miami, will go further in their restrictions, which he supports because different areas have seen varying concentrations of the virus.
Miami and Broward malls to close
March 18, 2020
Sawgrass Mills, Dadeland and Aventura malls, among others, will close as of 7 p.m. Wednesday due to the spread of the coronavirus, the malls’ owner, Simon Property Group, announced Wednesday. The malls and premium outlets will be closed until March 29.
The South Florida malls and outlets that will be affected include Aventura, Coral Square, Dadeland, Florida Keys Outlet Marketplace, Miami International, Sawgrass Mills, The Colonnade Outlets, The Falls and the Town Center in Boca Raton.
“The health and safety of our shoppers, retailers and employees is of paramount importance and we are taking this step to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” David Simon, Simon’s chairman, chief executive and president, said in a statement.
Archdiocese of Miami suspends Mass
March 18, 2020
The Archdiocese of Miami suspended all of its regularly scheduled celebrations of Mass and other liturgical events in parish churches and other public sanctuaries in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision took effect on Wednesday.
Funerals or other events that can’t be postponed, such as baptisms or weddings, that had been scheduled may still go on. But only with scaled-down changes.
Parishes are encouraged to live stream celebrations of Mass that priests lead. The archdiocesan website will compile a list of links for live stream masses.
This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 9:45 AM.