Cops are patrolling to make sure orders to prevent coronavirus are followed

MIAMI, Fla. – A new order requires workers and visitors to essential businesses in Miami-Dade County to wear face coverings.

And police are on patrol to make sure that order is followed.

Miami police officer Daniel Rodriguez is part of an enforcement task force. His job: check construction sites for compliance.

Local 10 News tagged along on a visit to an Ant Yapi/Civic construction site in Brickell, where they were screening temperatures before allowing a visitor onto the job site. There are also hand-washing stations.

“You notice everyone is separate and everybody is required to wear masks. This has been going on for about three weeks,” said the site’s general superintendent Javier Gonzalez.

“All these guys have families to go home to at the end of the week, at the end of the day, so we want to make sure that everyone goes home safe.”

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez made it clear that businesses and work sites failing to comply with the new order to wear masks — which went into effect Friday — will face consequences

“Starting [Saturday], businesses that do not comply will be shut down,” he said.

Out here, so far, police say they have been complying.

“We haven’t had to close any site yet,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully that is the way it will stay.”

A similar order to wear face coverings goes into place Saturday at 12:01 a.m. in Broward County, and other cities are putting in their own orders. For more information on those, click here.


About the Author:

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."