Miami-Dade County mayor issues order to ensure social distancing

Businesses required to have marked spaces six feet apart

Signs assist with social distancing at a grocery store in Austin, Texas, Miami-Dade County's mayor is instituting marked lines to keep people at a distance. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) (Eric Gay, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The mayor of Miami-Dade County is going to make sure that people standing in take-out and grocery lines and other essential business lines keep their distance.

On Thursday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez announced that he is issuing an order for all businesses that are open and servicing the public have marked spaces at their check-out areas. The marked spaces will be in place to keep six feet of distance between customers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s protocol for social distancing is for people to “remain out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintain distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible.”

Gimenez said: “I want to thank those businesses that have been doing this on their own. Now it will be a requirement.”

Additionally, despite the city of Miami and Miami Beach under a curfew, Gimenez said that after consultation with Miami-Dade County League of Cities, he is not issuing a countywide curfew.

The curfew, he said, would put an unnecessary burden on the Miami-Dade Police Department.

There is a "stay at home" order in place, however. "Our unified message is safer at home," said Gimenez.

In his daily address, Gimenez also made a point to clear up confusion over the term Shelter in Place.

"That does not apply to this situation. Shelter in Place is for short-term emergencies when people are in imminent danger, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or active shooter incidents which conveys a message of imminent danger and a need to shelter right away until an all clear is issued."

To view the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s complete Emergency Order 12-20, click here.