Coronavirus cases surge: Miami-Dade increases testing, enforcement, education

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Eager to undergo a coronavirus test, hundreds of drivers waited in line for hours on Tuesday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The line was shorter at the Miami Beach Convention Center in South Beach.

The temporary testing site in Miami Gardens aimed to collect about 970 swabs daily this week. The demand is increasing as there is a surge in cases and health officials recommend that anyone who comes in contact with a COVID-19 patient needs to be tested.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber are holding businesses accountable for enforcing face masks and social distancing of at least six feet.

Code enforcement officers are issuing 10-day close orders for first offenders, 15-days for businesses with a previous order, and a 30-day closure for businesses with a third citation.

SURGE TEAMS’ ED

Cathy Burgos, a Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department employee, wore her sneakers on Tuesday. As a member of the new Surge Teams, she was ready to walk for miles during door-to-door educational visits in Allapattah.

“We are really coming out to the community and informing them on the preventive measures of COVID-19 as well as giving them supplies,” said Burgos, who is bilingual.

The supplies include face masks, disposable gloves and hand sanitizer. Burgos and other team members were also conducting quizzes and distributing educational materials.

The surge teams will be visiting homes in Liberty City on Wednesday.


About the Authors
Trent Kelly headshot

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.

Christina Vazquez headshot

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."

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