Miami Beach mayor said hundreds of people have been arrested and at least two police officers injured this weekend spring breakers flocked to the popular South Florida destination, ignoring COVID-19 safety protocols.
Friday, the Miami Beach Police Department tweeted that officers were forced to use pepper balls to disperse a “very large” disorderly crowd when it took a subject into custody. Two officers were taken to hospital for minor injuries after the incident and released Saturday morning.
“What happened was a large crowd that gathered at one point in time and there were people who walked ahead and walked into the crowd, started throwing money in the air causing a larger crowd to gather,” said police chief Rick Clements. Miami Beach on CBS Miami.
Saturday night, 30 more people were arrested in South Beach, said the police
“We have too many people coming, we have too many people enjoying themselves and we have COVID at the same time, so it’s a triple threat,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told CBS Miami. “If you come here to disrupt, it is not worth the money to us. It is not worth the income. You cannot pay our community for the kind of inappropriate and inappropriate behavior that we have seen.”
‘If you come here because you think anything is possible, you’re going to have a terrible time. We’re going to arrest you. We have made hundreds and hundreds of arrests, ”said Gelber.
On March 10, the city of Miami Beach extended the state of emergency and emergency measures through March 17, including a midnight curfew. Florida does not have a statewide mask mandate and has lifted restrictions on restaurants and other businesses.
“I think what we’re seeing now is that there aren’t many other destinations that are open, or they’re cold, and the airfares are very, very cheap … so we get a lot of people coming here,” Gelber said. last week to CBSN, adding that the city is doing everything it can to promote security protocols, despite the fact that Governor Ron DeSantis said it couldn’t fine people for not wearing masks. even know that there is a pandemic. ”
Eva Marie Uzcategui / Bloomberg via Getty Images
The popular destination spring break has stepped up its police presence, banned open alcohol containers and set capacity limits on beaches in an effort to ease crowds during last year’s holiday season.
Gelber said he was unsure whether the city has been “particularly successful” in enforcing security measures.
“There is no doubt that irresponsible activities result in hospital admissions and death,” he added, criticizing the governor’s mask policy.
Some colleges and universities have scaled back days off or canceled spring break altogether as officials try to curb the partying that could lead to a spike in COVID-19 infections. Florida faced similar problems during the spring break last year, at the start of the pandemic, which led to large peaks in the cases.