Miami-Dade is the seventh most populous county in the United States at over 2.
7 million residents. Just this week, police and code enforcement officers issued tickets for those people who don’t wear masks in public spaces and will be fined up to $100.
The mandate is part of the county’s “New Normal Guidelines,” which allowed some businesses to reopen in May but now include stricter measures like the face mask mandate and some restaurant closures.
Before, fines were possible only for violations that took place within a commercial business. Those fines could run up to $500 and land violators can be detained up to 180 days in jail.
Miami-Dade County is considered the epicenter of the coronavirus in Florida with a 33.5% COVID-19 positivity rate.
Several counties and cities in Florida are imposing stricter coronavirus guidelines after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has refused to pause the state’s reopening plan, or mandate masks statewide. Since the start of the summer, Florida’s coronavirus outbreak has surged with over 316,000 cases and over 4,600 confirmed deaths.
Failure to follow the mask mandate in the city of Tampa’s could result in a fine up to $500. While in Leon and Orange counties, where state capital Tallahassee and Orlando are located, respectively, have also imposed mask requirements.
A comprehensive study found in June that masks and social distancing, or keeping at least six feet of distance from other people, is considered the most effective method to prevent coronavirus transmission.
Meanwhile, in Jacksonville — which will soon host a pared-down Republican National Convention — has also mandated masks in public.
The convention was moved in the spring from Charlotte, North Carolina after the state’s Democratic governor insisted on safety protocols including mask-wearing and social distancing, which President Donald Trump was unwilling to accept at the time.
Trump has repeatedly defied social distancing guidelines during the pandemic and has only been photographed in a mask in public once, last week during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, after months of expressing doubt in the efficiency of the masks.