BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – In Broward County, a crackdown on masks could be coming as hospitalizations continue to rise. The biggest take away from a discussion with county mayors who gathered on a call Friday is that enforcement will become a priority especially as the clock ticks closer to Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
While the vaccine is welcome news, Broward County Mayor Steve Geller believes it has created a false sense of security.
“Happy days are not here yet,” he warned. “People are getting complacent because of the vaccine.”
While the county’s positivity rate is holding steady between six and eight percent, hospitalizations are going up, which means less beds in intensive care units.
Geller said the goal is not to shut down businesses but slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
“We are going to be aggressive,” he said.
Geller had advice for owners of restaurants, bars and clubs.
“If you tell people to wear masks and they refuse, throw them out.”
Broward still has an order in effect where no alcohol can be sold after midnight.
The county has already sent out notices to 40 businesses that have been advertising drinking past midnight.
“We intend to continue to issue citations to individuals who are endangering the public by not wearing masks,” Geller said.
Broward County can still shut down businesses for violations.
Those citations are attached to fines those fines cannot be collected because of an emergency order issued by the governor, but Geller promises one that order is lifted they will be collecting the fines.
Meanwhile, Dr. Paula Thaqi, director of the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, said that the highest positivity rate in the county over the last two weeks was 8.06% on Dec. 14, while the lowest was 6.3% on Dec. 10.
Other statistics from Thaqi included:
Zip codes in the county that contributed 3.1% and 4.5% of cases were 33023, 33024, 33025, 33027, 33029, 33065.
There was a downward trend in daily deaths from COVID-19, but an upward trend in hospitals’ intensive care unit occupancy.
Community exposure accounts for 37%, 32% from household, 22% at work, and 9% traced to travel.
Thaqi said contract tracing continues.