Coronavirus Q&A: Rodney Barreto Discusses Factors That Went Into Reopening Parts Of Miami-Dade
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Florida Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Rodney Barreto is a member of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez's reopening task force.
He joined CBS4's Eliott Rodriguez and Rudabeh Shahbazi via Skype to discuss the factors that went into deciding which parts of the county would reopen on Wednesday.
Q: About a week ago, there was no timeline on reopening. But now here we are. What health factors are considered in the recommendations to the mayor?
A: It's, you know, when we met with the mayor and the mayor asked me to chair this committee, I made the argument that, you know, you have the haves and have nots. People who live on the water got access to water and people who have their boat and trailer in their yard have no access because all the marinas are closed. So he listened to that. But most importantly, he defers to the medical experts at the state level. At FIU, at the University of Miami, and he asked for them to look at what we presented and to sign off on it. They've looked at everything that we propose. We've tweaked some of the things and I'm happy to report I think that's just gonna be great. I don't think we as humans in America, we're not used to like being locked up in our houses for this long of a period. And so I think it's going to be healthy, let people go out and get some sunshine and get out to the parks and go out to golf and, and just have some semblance of normalcy back in their lives.
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Q: What do you say to those who point out that we had 22 COVID-19 deaths at Miami-Dade County yesterday? Are you concerned about a rise in infections and deaths?
A: You know, I think I think we need to look at the look at the science behind this. Listen to medical experts, I think that you're hearing from them. I think the elderly people are most vulnerable to the what's going on. I think people with underlying issues have had a concern. I think, for the most part, listen. Construction hasn't stopped in Miami-Dade County, there's all kinds of work going on. There's essential businesses that are still open and still functioning. So I think that I think as we learn more about the virus each and every day, we take a cautious approach. And if you're an elderly person, and if you have an underlying issue, you should heed the advice of the experts at this point. But I think it's also healthy to let families get out and walk and ride their bike and play golf and enjoy some of the things that we are able to do in this community, especially boating, and so on and so forth. So I think the mayor has methodically thought this out. He's done a fabulous job leading us through this effort, and it's time to slowly start opening things. So, listen, you know, it's not an easy roadmap because no one's got a roadmap and we're kind of developing as we go along. So I think all eyes are gonna be watching what we do here. But it's about time we kind of move some things forward and open some things up.
Q: So are you confident that members of the public want to abuse these easing restrictions in public places? How are these going to be enforced? And do you think people will actually obey the rules?
A: You know, the mayor has made it really clear that we're kind of zero tolerance on this. The county's gone out and hired like 500 employees. They're going to be deployed to all the parks that are going to be open. We at the state level are bringing in additional helicopters. We're bringing in additional resources to help not only Miami-Dade the marine patrol, but the city of Miami, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach. We're all working together. We're going to be out on the water making sure people are adhering to the law. I think, listen, the second-degree misdemeanor which pairs a $500 ticket is not a small ticket to write and, or to be, you know, have to pay. But it's, listen, we have to help one another. We got to watch out for our fellow man, and they got to watch out for us. It's a new day, a new beginning. You know, this is we're going to go through this as we try to open restaurants and nail and hair suppliers. I mean, it's just every day is a new beginning on how we roll this out. And so I feel confident that we have enough resources to deal with this. And I think, for the most part, people are very aware now what's going on and what space they need. It's amazing. I walk every morning on Old Cutler, and as I walk people literally go off the sidewalk because 15 feet away from you. So people are very, very aware.
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