Miami Beach officials closed a park after rangers had to warn more than 7,300 people to put on masks

• Miami Beach officials closed down a popular park just days after reopening it, after issuing thousands of warnings for people who weren't wearing masks.
• City officials have mandated that everyone wear masks in the parks, except for children under the age of two, people with respiratory conditions, or people exercising strenuously.
• City manager Jimmy Morales said in a statement that the rangers who urged people to comply with the rules were "met with hostility and non-compliance."
• "There is no way to effectively enforce social distancing when hundreds of individuals refuse to do so," Morales said.
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Officials in Miami Beach, Florida, had to close down a popular park just five days after reopening it after residents crowded the park without wearing face masks.

According to Miami Beach police, park rangers delivered 7,329 verbal warnings between May 1 and May 3, the majority of which were in South Pointe Park.

City officials have mandated that face masks be worn by anyone inside parks and other green spaces, except for children under the age of two, people with respiratory conditions, or people exercising strenuously.

Officials have also barred groups of 10 people or more, banned organized activities such as sports games or classes, marked pedestrian trails as one-way only, and urged people not to linger in the parks for longer than two hours.

Miami Beach's parks, golf courses, and marinas were closed for six weeks until last weekend, when city officials authorized a limited reopening.

But as the weekend continued, city manager Jimmy Morales said it became clear that people using South Pointe Park were unwilling to follow the rules. Morales said even after closing the parking lot, residents were still breaking the rules.

"We tried in good faith to open our parks to help folks get out and about safely. In almost every other park in the city, this experiment has been successful," he said in a statement, according to CBS Miami. "South Pointe Park is the most egregious exception."

Morales said the rangers who urged people to comply with the rules were "met with hostility and non-compliance."

"There is no way to effectively enforce social distancing when hundreds of individuals refuse to do so," he said. "The best way to protect our residents and first responders is to keep it closed until further notice."

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