City Of Miami Increasing Penalties For Businesses Found Breaking COVID-Related Rules
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Five businesses have previously been shut down for a day in the City of Miami. Now a business may be closed for 10 days for a first offense.
"This week what we are implementing is new penalties for businesses that do not comply with the rules," said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Suarez is cracking down of businesses breaking the rules.
"As you see these numbers growing, we have to do something," he said. "Ten days, they'll be closed for the first instance, 15 days for the second and 30 days for the third instance."
The city mayor is hoping to help the county's overall positivity rate fall.
Just within his city in the last week, the average one-day amount of cases nearly doubled pre-shutdown numbers.
"Prior to the shutdown, the highest that we got was 34 new cases per day. We are almost at an increase of double the number of new cases that we were back then," he said.
Parents are taking extra safety measures to protect their loved ones.
"Very scary. I have three kids. So, all the plans have changed and you can't really plan ahead. It is a scary thing," a woman told CBS4's Ty Russell.
The mayor has been visiting hot spots and businesses to hand out masks. But there may be only so much he and other leaders can do.
The city has contact tracers working to learn why the area is still such a big increase.
Right now, early signs point to parties at home.
"A big proportion of the new cases are people who have indicated that they were at graduation parties and home get togethers," Suarez said.
So the mayor's message as families celebrate the Fourth of July is to follow CDC guidelines or just stay home.
"It's more imperative, particularly over this long July 4th weekend, that people do not congregate in other people's homes without observing the rules that have been recommended by our healthcare professionals," he said.
The mayor said he knows some business owners are still struggling. But he doesn't want them bending the rules because then bouncing back will be a lot harder due to the harsher penalties.
The city has a public mask mandate with a harsh penalty. So far, no tickets have been issued
Police do have masks to hand out for people who need them.
