Protesters Hit Streets Of South Beach Demanding Reopening Of Shops, Restaurants & Beaches
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A group of protesters hit the streets of South Beach Sunday, demanding the reopening of shops, restaurants and beaches.
The protesters told CBS4's Ty Russell they want face coverings to be optional.
It's not likely they will get their wish about beaches and face coverings.
Miami Beach is waiting on a county order to allow for a reopening.
But Miami-Dade County must get permission from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
They want to make sure CDC guidelines are still being followed to avoid a spike in cases.
There's a chain of command in order to reopen places like shops and restaurants.
An organizer believes since taxpayers foot the bill for open spaces, they should all be open without restrictions, despite concerns of spreading COVID-19.
"The beach, you don't have to be an expert. The beach, the parks, and the outdoor sun, and the beautiful salt ocean breeze, these are the most healthy areas," said Miami Beach resident Jeanette Donatti.
The Town of Davie in Broward reopened 15 parks Sunday and allowed apartments and condos to open pool areas.
Miami Beach plans to reopen South Pointe Park Monday after issues with face coverings and overcrowding last weekend. However, the park will still be closed on weekends.
Miami-Dade and Broward are eyeing May 18th for phase one openings.
For Broward, that may include shops, restaurants, nail and hair salons along with barbershops.
For Miami-Dade, we definitely know restaurants are being considered.
The mayor said drafting the guidelines for restaurants has been the toughest part so far for phase one.
"There was a lot of back and forth between some of the owners of restaurants and some of our medical advisors," said Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
"We need to make sure we have consensus across the board that we are ready and all of Broward is ready to match the date with Miami-Dade County," said Broward Mayor Dale Holness.
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