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'The party is over': Officials in Miami, the unofficial spring break capital of the US, are kicking partiers off beaches and implementing 11 p.m. curfews to curb the coronavirus spread
'The party is over': Officials in Miami, the unofficial spring break capital of the US, are kicking partiers off beaches and implementing 11 p.m. curfews to curb the coronavirus spread
Hillary HoffowerMar 17, 2020, 23:08 IST
Coronavirus is ruining spring break for college kids.
As of Saturday evening, Miami Beach, once named the top spring break destination in the US, has been temporarily shut down in efforts to contain coronavirus.
Spring break has come to screeching halt in Miami Beach.
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Over the weekend, local Florida officials implemented new restrictions in the area to help curb the spread of coronavirus. There are currently 155 known infected cases in the state.
Measures taken locally include shutting down South Beach (the popular part of Miami Beach), implementing an 11 p.m. curfew, and limiting crowds to 250 people.
"It's extremely upsetting because most students only get one spring break," 21-year-old Gabby Porter, who was in Miami for spring break, told Business Insider of the restrictions.
"You have a mother, you have a grandmother and maybe a great-grandmother," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said to spring breakers during a news conference. "That virus can be extremely dangerous to them."
South Beach, which is usually teeming with crowds of college kids this time of year, is now looking ghostly. Here's what it looks like.
Are you on spring break right now, or have you had any spring break plans cancelled suddenly because of the coronavirus? Email this reporter at hhoffower@businessinsider.com to share your story.
The spring break crowds here are big. In recent years, the noise, garbage, and wild parties have driven away some of the wealthy from South Beach, a trendy area of Miami Beach.
But coronavirus is ruining the party this year. On Saturday, Florida officials closed part of Miami Beach to help contain the spread of the virus. It left the beaches eerily empty.
Miami Beach shut down from Fifth Street to 15th Street, the area known as South Beach, according to local news outlet Local10 News. That includes the nearby Lummus Park. Miami Beach's parking garages are also closed to non-residents.
"We cannot become a petri dish for a very dangerous virus," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said of the decision during a news conference. "Spring break is over. The party is over."
"COVID-19 is a threat as much here as anywhere," he said in the conference, as reported by Susannah Bryan of the Sun Sentinel. "We simply cannot endure these kinds of gatherings and crowds. Our measures are intended to send a clear message that Spring Break is canceled ..."
"It's extremely upsetting because most students only get one spring break," 21-year-old Gabby Porter, who was in Miami for spring break, told Business Insider of the restrictions.
"I am a senior and booked this trip months ago," Porter said. "Unfortunately, coronavirus is really serious and I understand the restrictions, it's just really sad."
Porter was spring breaking in Miami from March 7 to March 13, before the restrictions were enacted but still felt the effects of coronavirus. She said her group did everything they wanted until early Wednesday.
Some establishments were already closing down before the beach ban went into effect. On Thursday, two of Miami's most popular clubs — Liv and Story — chose to shut down temporarily "out of an abundance of caution."
Porter and her group of friends had tickets to LIV on Wednesday night, but had watched the presidential address and decided "not to go to be safe, which sucked."
On Thursday, LIV announced its temporary closure, "which was a close call for us," Porter said.
On Saturday, Jimmy Morales, Miami Beach City Manager, enacted emergency measures to curb spring breakers from crowding in South Beach with the help of police and civilian ambassadors.
"The goal is to avoid the huge crowds that clearly pose both a health hazard and a public disorder risk," Morales wrote in an email to the mayor and City Commission, as reported by Martin Vassolo for The Miami Herald.
But as a spring breaker told local outlet 7 News Miami, "Even though there's no gathering on the beach, there's gathering in the surrounding area, so the spread is still inevitable if there are any cases out here."
Things turned violent later that night: A man was reportedly hospitalized after a police-involved shooting.
It's unclear whether this was related to shutting down the beaches. In a tweet, police said they were responding to a call about a man with a gun inside a building, reported local outlet 7 News Miami.
Locals and visitors have expressed concern now and in the past that the Miami Beach Police Department rough-houses black spring breakers, according to Jerry Iannelli of Miami New Times.
The Miami Beach Police Department did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Officials also enacted other party-stopping measures, implementing a curfew and early nightly shutdowns of stores, bars, and restaurants.
Officials ordered bars, restaurants, and non-essential retail stores — excluding essential stores — to close by 10 p.m. and asked them to operate at half of their capacity, according to Local10 News.
They also limited crowds to 250 people and established an 11 p.m. curfew.
Beginning on Tuesday at 11 p.m., more limited rules will go into effect for all of Miami-Dade County. Any gathering of more than 10 people in Miami Beach will be considered illegal.
This excludes essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, and convenience stores. Restaurants and hotel kitchens are allowed to stay open for delivery, drive-thru, and pickup services.
The regulations were made in conjunction with Fort Lauderdale city officials, who also closed a section of Fort Lauderdale Beach, enforced a curfew, and limited crowds in stores and restaurants.
Gelber and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said they devised the plan together so each city's regulations wouldn't send an influx of spring breakers to the other city, reported Bryan.
The Miami Beach regulations will remain in effect until March 19 but may be extended if necessary. Violators would risk a $500 fine or 60 days in jail.
In Fort Lauderdale, they'll remain in effect until April 12, according to Bryan.
An institutional-type ban might be necessary. Without it, spring breakers are the least-likely Florida tourist group to cancel their trip, Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Forecasting at the UCF Orlando, told US News & World Report.
"And young people are generally kind of reckless anyway," he said.
Young people aren't at at high risk for the virus but can asymptomatically carry it, unknowingly infecting others.
"I just keep hearing how this affects mostly older people," Kaitland Carter, a 19-year-old spring breaking in South Florida, told The New York Times. "And there were hardly any cases in Ohio when I left so I figured I could stay in my own zone and still have a good time."
Of coronavirus, Morales said: "Our focus now is preventing this from getting worse at all costs. I am sure the kids will still come, but they won't be coming to a 'party city.'"
