Mayors in Miami-Dade County hesitate to issue another stay-at-home order, instead warning residents to follow safety guidelines

MIAMI – A sudden spike in the number of COVID-19 cases reported in Florida has some local leaders reminding folks that we are not in the clear.

"We're not cautiously optimistic," said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. "We're cautions so that we can remain optimistic."

The mayors of Miami Beach, Miami and Miami-Dade County are urging the community to keep up with social distancing protocols amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

“We’re not going into Phase 3 right now, we’re not going to be announcing any rollbacks, nor will we be announcing an implementation or reimplementation of a stay-at-home order,” said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

The main message from the mayors was to keep following safety guidelines, such as wearing masks and social distancing.

"We're not going back to closing our economy because numbers inch up over a couple days," said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez. "What we're going to continue to do is to strictly enforce the rules."

Mateo Paderni of Coconut Grove’s family-run Italian restaurant Sapore Di Mare said getting a handle on the virus is critical to minimizing prolonged economic shocks.

"If we don’t solve the sanitary problems, the economic problem is going to be worse," Paderni said. "If we don’t guarantee to the tourists to come here safely, people won’t come back."

Consumer confidence paired with personal responsibility continues to play a major role in keeping folks safe and businesses open, explained Alfred Sanchez, President and CEO of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

“If people can’t trust that when we are going out, we really are okay, they will be hesitant no matter what the situation is,” said Sanchez. “If we all want to go back to work, we have to be very committed to the guidelines that are being placed out there.”

The key metric continues to be the hospitalization rate.

Sectors of the economy that will continue to be placed on hold are bars and nightclubs countywide, and in addition, movie theaters in Miami and Miami Beach.