A park in Miami Beach has had to be closed just five days after it reopened when lockdown restrictions were lifted after nearly 9,000 people showed up and were found to be violating the park’s mask policy.
South Pointe Park on South Beach opened to the public once again on Wednesday after being closed for six weeks in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
But conditions were attached to the green space reopening.
The city of Miami Beach closed the popular South Pointe Park, pictured, after thousands of visitors failed to wear face coverings and socially distance as seen in this crowded photo
8,880 verbal warnings were issued to parkgoers who were not wearing masks in South Pointe Park, pictured
Instagram user @coachjeremy305 is shown jumping into the water in South Point Park captioning his post: ‘Grateful to live in the best city in the world. Grateful that parks are opening up again. Grateful for salty water. Grateful for EVERYTHING.’
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered all parkgoers to wear facial coverings but the policy was mostly ignored by those going to South Pointe Park.
In the five days the park was opened from Wednesday to Sunday, park rangers issued 8,880 verbal warnings according to the Miami Herald, with the majority of the warnings, 5,261, issued over the weekend.
At one point the police decided to close the parking lot in an attempt to control crowds but it made little difference.
‘We have had city staff in the park to encourage people to comply, but they were met with hostility and non-compliance,’ said city manager Jimmy Morales.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered all parkgoers to wear facial coverings but the policy was mostly ignored by those going to South Pointe Park
The Miami Beach Police Department has now closed the park until further notice
Other parks in Miami Beach have been reopened. Pictured, a Miami Beach Parks and Recreations worker cleans the benches after the parks reopening last Wednesday
Miami Beach Police revealed that they have been forced to close South Point Park once again
People were pictured sunbathing at Bonita beach in Bonita Springs, on Florida’s west coast
‘There is no way to effectively enforce social distancing when hundreds of individuals refuse to do so. The best way to protect our residents and first responders is to keep it closed until further notice.’
‘The social distancing is serious, and it’s too early to disregard it,’ Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said. ‘There is a lot of frustration but that can’t be the organizing principle of what we do.’
‘South Pointe Park is Closed! #covidiots ruined it for everybody,’ wrote Matthew Blake Moran on a Facebook group for the Miami Beach Community. ‘And this is why we can’t have nice things during a pandemic.. People want to open the beaches? Yeah right!’
‘What will be next? When will this end?’ wrote, Maria LaPietro Guerrero, another user on the group. ‘First, we were staying home to flatten the curve. We did that. Now, 6 weeks later, we have more ‘laws’ and no end in sight.’
Other parks in the Miami area have reopened without problems but the popular location of South Pointe Park may have made the problem worse than would otherwise be the case.
Elsewhere across the state of Florida, restaurants can reopen with full outdoor seating, and indoor seating is allowed at 25 percent normal capacity; however bars, nightclubs and gyms remain shut.
On-site sale and retail businesses can also operate at 25 percent of capacity, subject to appropriate social distancing and sanitation measures
All Florida’s counties were allowed to reopen except Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
People are pictured visiting Clearwater Beach on Florida’s west cost after Governor Ron DeSantis opened the beaches at 7am on Monday morning
The city of Miami Beach partially reopened parks and facilities including golf courses, tennis courts and marinas as it begins easing restrictions made due to the COVID-19 pandemic
A Park ranger speaks to visitors in South Pointe Park. More than 8,880 verbal warnings were given with thousands of people refusing to wear face masks or coverings of any kind
A sign details a police order to close at an entrance of South Pointe Park in South Beach. The park was forced to be closed once again after thousands decided to go without face masks