Wynwood A 'Ghost Town' As Spraying For Zika Continues
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The always-popular Wynwood was noticeably empty of its usual weekend crowds because of Zika.
Several shop owners and managers CBS4's Donna Rapado tried to speak with turned her away. They didn't want to draw more attention to the situation.
One eclectic plant shop owner did tell Rapado off camera that on Saturday she only had one sale – and it didn't happen until about 5 p.m.
"It's actually been pretty much a ghost town."
Yesenia Candelario at Marine Layer said it's been a very slow, quiet weekend in the trendy, artsy enclave.
"There's a bunch of restaurants here and now we have new shops. So we have a lot of people come in for brunch and tourists who wanna see the murals and shop around," she explained. "But it's not like that due to the Zika virus."
Zika 101: Prevent Spread By Protecting Yours
Early Sunday morning, a plane was up and at it again, dropping insecticide over the Wynwood neighborhood.
Miami-Dade Mosquito Control has been using this particular insecticide called "Naled" for decades and says they have been doing so safely.
They expect to keep flying these aerial spray missions indefinitely. Teams are also continually evaluating conditions and mosquito traps out there.
"My one job is to protect this baby. I can't get bit by a mosquito," Leslie Isaza said.
Isaza is 36 weeks pregnant. She and other expectant mothers like Leah Acero are on edge.
"My biggest concern is, the most fearful thing is, I don't want to have a child with some of the severe cerebral defects that are being talked about, including microcephaly," Acero said.
Meanwhile, Candelario and others who work in the area remain positive. It's just a matter of time before it's business as usual in Wynwood again.
"It's not common, obviously. No one would expect the Zika virus to come here," Candelario said. "But pretty much it will blow over. Little by little it's just gonna get better."
Click here for more information on the Zika virus or here for more Zika-related stories.
