The City of Miami Beach has issued a state of emergency and a midnight curfew in response to two separate shootings over the weekend and “excessively large and unruly crowds,” according to a news release.
The 11:59 p.m. curfew is set to take effect on Sunday, March 19, through 6 a.m. Monday, March 20. It will be imposed for South Beach, an area bounded by 23rd Street and Dade Boulevard on the north (including properties fronting the north side of 23rd Street or Dade Boulevard), Government Cut on the south, Biscayne Bay on the west, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east.
According to the release, the city manager also intends to impose additional curfew restrictions from Thursday, March 23, through Monday, March 27. The city commission plans to hold a meeting on Monday at 4 p.m. to discuss further restrictions for next week.
With the new measures, people must leave businesses by 11:59 p.m., although hotels may continue business operations past the curfew only in service to their guests. In addition, restaurants will be allowed to continue operating past curfew but with delivery services only.
The curfew won’t apply to residents requiring access to or from their homes, people going to and from work, guests requiring access to or from their hotels and essential services such as fire or police. Hotel guests entering the city may be required to show proof of their reservations.
Meanwhile, alcohol sales will be prohibited for off-premises consumption in the curfew area after 6 p.m., according to the city.
All the details of the Miami Beach curfew can be found in the release here. We will continue to update the story in case of any further changes to the curfew and closures.
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