MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced on Monday that she is lifting the coronavirus pandemic’s midnight curfew on April 12.
Levine Cava also announced that starting on Tuesday daycares will be able to double capacity while they enforce social distancing and the use of face masks.
The mayor held a news conference on Monday to make the announcement and to ask the public to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, to social distance, and to wear a face mask.
“We looked at a confluence of circumstances and decided that they were headed in the right direction,” Levine Cava said.
Dr. Peter Paige, Miami-Dade County’s first chief medical officer, said the curfew was effective in curbing the spread of the virus, but it was only one tool. He said the impact of the vaccination program is making it possible for Levine Cava to lift the curfew.
“There are two big components to the vaccination program: One is we have to have the vaccines. The other is people need to take them,” Paige said. “So, I would just encourage everyone to continue to promote vaccination, and when you get an opportunity to get a vaccine ... please get it.”
Paige, also the chief physician executive and chief clinical officer at Jackson Health System, also said there is a downward trend in death rates, COVID-19 hospitalizations in critical care units have dropped, and the two-week positivity rate is at 6.4%.
“We have to remain vigilant. This pandemic is not over,” Paige said. “We are in a much better place than we were, but we have to continue to enforce masking, social distancing, and hygiene, avoiding large groups and celebrations,” Paige said. “Get outside ... as oppose to indoors.”
Levine Cava allowed David Grutman, an entrepreneur behind several restaurants and nightclubs, and other local business leaders to speak during the news conference.
Grutman and others entrepreneurs who also spoke in Spanish and Creole said they already received the COVID-19 vaccine and encouraged others to do the same.
Nancy Torre, a food worker at Miami International Airport, said about 90% of food workers were unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic and the need to reopen is urgent.
Levine Cava said there is a team effort to push the local economy to recover. She also said her top priority since she was elected in November has been to help save lives and livelihoods.
“It’s really the vaccinations that are taking us out of the hole here,” Levine Cava said.
According to the Florida Department of Health, 3,686,180 people had completed the COVID-19 vaccine series in Florida as of Monday morning, including 465,779 in Miami-Dade County. According to the FDOH data, 259,770 of the people who completed the vaccine series in Miami-Dade are age 65 or older, a high-risk population.
According to FDOH, 2,670,869 people had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday morning, including 342,566 in Miami-Dade. According to the FDOH data, 88,901 of the people who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Miami-Dade are age 65 or older.
COVID-19 had been to blame for 34,364 deaths in Florida as of Monday morning, including 33,710 residents and 654 non-residents, according to FDOH. The state agency also reported that 5,917 of those COVID-19 deaths were in Miami-Dade County.
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It’s official: all adults 18 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. (16 & 17 year olds can also receive the Pfizer vaccine accompanied by a parent/guardian.) Don’t wait a moment longer – find an available location and go get the shot.https://t.co/dzvw6NxJma
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) April 5, 2021
FDOH DATA: Miami-Dade County