Governor orders statewide bar, club shutdown, Miami-Dade shutters bars, movies, gyms

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Miami Beach, the international tourist mecca famed for beaches and nightlife, officially ordered people to stop gathering in groups of 10 or more. Miami-Dade County announced all restaurants must shut their doors to dine-in patrons, and gyms, movie theaters and bars must close.

And Florida’s governor ordered bars and nightclubs to close their doors for the next 30 days, college students to study at home and standardized testing for all K-12 schools to be halted for the year. Miami-Dade also shuttered its libraries.

“This is the floor for Florida for the foreseeable future,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Those were among the extraordinary measures announced Tuesday as authorities sought to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus that has ground life to a halt in Florida, wrecked the U.S. economy and killed thousands across the globe.

“We are organized. But we all can’t just cross our fingers. Hope isn’t a plan,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said Tuesday during a press conference at Joe’s Stone Crab, the iconic South Beach restaurant. “We’re not a community built for social distancing. We’re a community built to break down social distancing.”

The tougher restrictions came on another day of fast-moving developments around the world, and as Floridians headed to the polls to vote in the state’s primary elections, but in reduced numbers.

Florida’s health department updated the rising count Tuesday evening, saying 216 have the caught the virus, with 43 cases in Miami-Dade and 55 in Broward. Among those infected, it was revealed Tuesday, are a staff member at Florida International University, an employee at the University of Miami medical campus, someone who works at the Miami-Dade criminal courthouse and a city of Miami Beach employee.

A second rabbi, Moshe Gruenstein, the rabbi at Young Israel of Bal Harbour in Surfside, tested presumptive positive Tuesday evening, according to Bal Harbour Village Mayor Gabriel Groisman. On Sunday, Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar of The Shul of Bal Harbour, also in Surfside near Bal Harbour, said he had tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

At least seven Floridians have died. Officials said Tuesday that three deaths at a Broward County assisted living facility, Atria Willow Wood, are being probed to see if they are connected to the respiratory virus that is particularly deadly to elderly people. Late Tuesday, DeSantis said only one of the reported deaths at the ALF had been linked to the virus. Tests were pending on the others.

Worldwide, officials say more than 195,000 people have caught the virus. In the United States, nearly 6,000 people have been infected.

The medical challenges remained glaring on Tuesday — a Palm Beach nonprofit organization announced it would have to stop free testing at its drive-thru site because it was running short on testing supplies.

Late Tuesday, state emergency management officials announced they were setting up three field hospitals — one in Broward, which has more cases than any of the state’s 66 other counties, one in Ocala and one in Orlando. The officials did not specify the number of beds or the treatment capabilities at the hospitals.

The economic turmoil continued as the deaths mounted.

The Federal Reserve announced it was creating a special fund to keep credit flowing for families and businesses. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the White House was endorsing a massive federal stimulus aimed at propping up the crippled economy. Markets rallied on the news that Trump wants to distribute cash into the pockets of Americans affected by the shutdown of businesses, schools and institutions.

Across the country, the virus’ spread tore at the fabric of modern life.

Uber and Lyft, the popular ride-sharing companies that employ thousands of gig-economy drivers, announced they were temporarily suspending operations in the United States and Canada. Amazon, which is playing a key role in delivering supplies to families stuck in their homes, announced it would stop receiving all but vital supplies to its company warehouses.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a high-level alert against any cruise travel worldwide, and strongly suggested that anyone who has traveled on a cruise recently should self-quarantine for 14 days. Much of the cruise industry is based in South Florida, and the virus spread has forced companies to cancel sailings across the globe.

Local governments crafted far more aggressive restrictions on Tuesday than the ones rolled out during the weekend.

DeSantis’ executive order said any business that makes over half its revenue from alcohol sales can no longer sell drinks for the next 30 days. Bars that sell food, however, will be allowed to remain open to sell food only, the governor’s office said.

Before noon Tuesday, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez signed an order to close all the bars, restaurants, taverns, pubs, nightclubs, movie theaters, concert halls, gyms, bowling alleys and other similar businesses in the county by 11 p.m. Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day. Kitchens at the restaurants can remain open, but only for takeout and delivery.

The order, which was to go into effect at 11 p.m. Tuesday night, does not affect grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations and convenience stores. Also exempt from the order are restaurants and bars at Miami International Airport and PortMiami. The order covers all the municipalities in Miami-Dade, though cities may implement stricter rules.

“The sooner we can control the spread, the flatter the outbreak will be,” Miami-Dade Deputy Mayor Jennifer Moon said while showing graphs that predict the coronavirus may overwhelm hospital capacity if more people don’t isolate themselves and reduce transmission.

Gimenez remains in self-quarantine after he may have been exposed to the virus.

The countywide order applies to establishments with at least eight seats that are selling food or alcohol for consumption on the premises, and with seating for more than eight people. Kitchens can stay open for carry-out and delivery.

Grocery stores and convenience stores, while exempt from the restrictions, will have to close dining areas that meet the criteria. The gym rules also exempt facilities inside residential buildings and those inside hotels with a capacity of 10 people or less.

Tuesday’s somber press conference highlighted the remarkably sudden dismantling of Miami-Dade’s service economy this week as emergency measures and warnings to avoid contact sent sales plunging, emptied dining rooms and had businesses enacting sweeping layoffs.

Even before the announcements, some nightclub owners said they were preparing and knew what was in store.

“We are already in full shutdown mode, which is to fully disinfect everything and put everything into a clean storage mode,” said David Wallack, owner of Mango’s Tropical Cafe on Ocean Drive.

Wallack, who employs 250 people, said his venue will likely stay shuttered until late August or September. That means his employees may have to look for work elsewhere. He doesn’t plan to offer takeout or deliver food.

“None of us have been in anything like this in our lives,” he said. “Even in our memorable history, it’s something that’s uncharted waters. We have to really prepare for the unknown in that sense.”

On Ocean Drive alone, 50 restaurants and 40 hotels — many with lobby bars — rely on tourists to keep their restaurants and rooms full. The restaurants have no experience with deliveries, so changing their business model for the foreseeable future is challenging, said Ceci Velasco, the executive director of the Ocean Drive Association.

“Some of these businesses are not going to be able to survive if this goes on too long,” she said. “The fact that this is indefinite is the hardest part. You can’t run a business without planning.”

News of the closures also rippled through Miami’s food and beverage industry, which has sprawling operations in Wynwood, on Brickell and in Coconut Grove. In the Grove, some restaurants like Tigertail + Mary and Harry’s Pizzeria have chosen to shutter rather than try and deliver or offer takeout.

“We have been torn in two; wanting to stay open for the community and our employees who are our family. But the time has come to make the call, which is the right decision,” restaurant owner Michael Schwartz posted on Instagram.

Miami Herald staff writers Charles Rabin, Joey Flechas and Devoun Cetoute, and Emily Mahoney of the Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau contributed to this report.