MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez is currently in self-quarantine at his home due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
While a test he took last week came back negative, the mayor noted that sometimes symptoms can take longer to show up and out of an abundance of caution, he would not be interacting with others and potentially spreading the virus.
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Saturday night Gimenez tweeted that the Miami-Dade Emergency Management would begin operating at a Level II due to the ongoing concerns over the threat of COVID-19.
Sunday the @MiamiDadeEM will begin operating at a Level II as it monitors the health threat posed by COVID-19. I urge you to verify the sources of your information to avoid overreacting. I outline the next steps Miami-Dade County will take in this video: https://t.co/cD4EwmvDVu
— Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez (@MayorGimenez) March 15, 2020
"It's an activation of our EOC (Emergency Operations Center)," Gimenez explained during an appearance via Skype on Local 10 News. "That means it's open 24 hours a day, so that if anything happens, we will have somebody there."
Gimenez said that it's similar to what Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has done with the state's EOC, and he wanted to act similarly to what's being done state-wide.
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Additionally, the mayor stressed that residents should be taking the proper measures, which includes keeping social distancing, constantly washing hands and avoiding touching your face.
“The 2.8 million residents that live in in Miami-Dade need to assume that everybody that they’re in contact with is infected,” he said. “If you do that, you’ll take measures that will protect yourself and will protect others. That’s the way we beat this virus.”