Day 5 of COVID-19 in Miami-Dade: more closures, masks and tests coming

Updated: And from the better late than never category: The Seminole Tribe of Florida finally closed its casinos to help curb the community spread of COVID-19, Miami Beach hotels are shutting down and Miami-Dade transit finally cut bus and Metrorail service on Friday — Day 5 of the all voluntary #StayHome movement — but only after it was reported that a bus driver tested for the coronavirus after displaying all the symptoms.

Those test results have not been returned, said Miami-Dade Transit spokesman Luis Espinoza.

The daily developments of this pandemic have governments scrambling to continue to provide services one way or another and making changes to executive orders and emergency operations on the fly as the number of infected in the state and county increased. The Florida Health Department reported on Friday afternoon that 123 Miami-Dade residents had tested positive for the coronavirus. There were 8 on Day 1.

Also on Friday:

Miami Beach is throwing out all the tourists. The city joined North Miami Beach and Key Biscayne in issuing a curfew. Theirs starts at midnight on Monday and by then all guests of hotels and motels — except healthcare workers, first responders and other crisis people — must be gone. Nobody can be outside from midnight to 5 a.m. NMB and the Key have curfews from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue department ordered 40 cases of six-gallon jugs of hand sanitizer. But it’s not expected to arrive until Tuesday or Wednesday.
At least 110,000 packaged meals, the county mayor said, had been delivered this week to seniors whose comedores and activity centers are closed.
Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes secured about 10,000 N95 masks donated by Home Depot for Miami Fire Rescue first responders. Delivery is expected early next week. “We are grateful for The Home Depot and other businesses in the community who are doing the right thing and stepping up to help our first responders who are on the front lines,” Reyes said in a statement.
Pollo Tropical started offering 50% discounts to first responders and healthcare workers.
Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo (!) announced that he had negotiated with a for-profit private lab to bring maybe a million tests and set up five drive-through locations by next week, according to the Miami Herald. He did not provide a price tag on that.
Cuban radio reported that about a dozen Miami Police officers were sent home Friday morning after failing a new temperature test before their shift: They all had slight fevers. That doesn’t mean the other 40 or so officers in the room with them aren’t also infected. It just means they aren’t showing symptoms, like a fever.

After all, neither has Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who did test positive last week and has been in isolation at home, staying in touch via a personal diary on Facebook. Baby X, the celebrity mayor, finally got what he’s most wanted: A reality TV show.

In his eighth episode of the series — which could also be turned into a made-for-TV movie — Suarez reported feeling symptom-free and seemed excited about “developing a protocol with emergency fire-rescue personnel to get out of the quarantine at some point, and I will share that with you all.”

Whoa, Nelly. No te me apures. You still need to be put away for another six days or so. Make it seven. No, let’s do three weeks, por si las moscas. Nobody is outside anyway. And there’s nothing to do. Don’t get all confident because you feel better. And truth be told, you look better. It feels like I can say that now.

Suarez also wants other people going through quarantine not to get nervous and he had some tips. The mayor’s advice for surviving COVID-19: Postmates and Netflix.

“Restaurants are still delivering,” he said, which seemed to Ladra’s family a bad idea after ordering from Sergio’s and eating our sandwiches and then realizing we don’t really know where they came from. After five days of self isolation, a pan con bistec might do us in. But Suarez hasn’t just been ordering lunch.

“It’s a good time to catch up on Netflix. I’ve been watching the new season of Narcos and, on Amazon Prime, Hunters, which is really good,” he actually said, and Ladra can’t help but wonder if he’s doing product placement.

I mean, is that what you have to say to the citizens of Miami who are freaking out because there are not enough tests, not enough masks and far too many scary story YouTube videos and podcasts on the crisis in Italy and Madrid? Is that what you’ve been doing? Watching Narcos?

Both the county mayor and the city of Miami mayor are missing an opportunity to lead.

For days, Ladra and others have said bus and Metrorail service must be suspended for all but essential workers — first responders, 911 and 311 call takers, doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, solid waste employees, anyone who can’t stay home for the good of the public. But on Friday, the service was just cut with longer waits between bus rides and trains — that are being cleaned overnight for the most part, according to Jeffrey Mitchell, president of the Miami-Dade Transit Workers union.

And operations were only cut after it was learned that the bus driver was tested and quarantined after showing symptoms for the virus. And there was no immediate information available about his route and the days he worked sick (more on that later).

Gimenez did not even broach the transit subject during his 6.5 minute daily morning message, which was just another regurgitation of the closings he ordered the day before, this time adding the clarification he had to make late at night so that university students who couldn’t get back home could stay in campus housing. Which is what happens when you work on the fly and don’t consult the commissioners or community for anything and just listen to your close circle of insiders.

“Automobile dealerships as long as those businesses ensure that people practice social distancing of six feet,” he said, because automobile moguls are among his big supporters. “Also veterinarians and pet boarding facilities can remain open.” But hotels and motels, “commercial lodging establishments and short term rentals” — like Airbnb — are ordered to close.

So, hotel guests have to leave but you can still buy a Jeep for the apocalypse?

Late Friday, Gimenez had to walk back the hotel closures — likely after some donors complained. “Mayor Gimenez is currently working on the emergency order. We expect it to be finalized by Saturday,” a statement from his office announced just before 10 p.m. in response to “inquiries.”

Plus, we knew most his spiel yesterday. This is an evolving crisis with a 24/7 news cycle. Tell us something new. Something important. Like what you are doing to get more tests to Miami-Dade. While you’ve been repeating old news on daily campaign video messages, Manolo Reyes got 10,000 masks donated to first responders and Joe Carollo — Crazy Joe Carollo — may beat you to get the needed tests here. What have you done? Are you watching Narcos?

“This is a very fluid situation,” Gimenez said, “and at every turn we are making decisions on the latest CDC recommendations which continue to evolve and on the conditions on the ground.”

Is he telling us the CDC has recommended that veterinarians stay open? Or was that the veterinarians’ lobbyist? And construction sites remaining open? Is that the CDC or the LBA recommending?

“Frankly, we are writing the book on how to deal with this virus,” the mayor said. And Ladra really hopes not. Unless it’s Pandemics For Dummies. The city of Miami has been a step ahead the whole time and that probably bothers him.

“I realize these closures are leaving people out of work,” Gimenez said.

Yeah, they are also making us dizzy.

Gimenez, who is now a super Republican candidate running for Congress, said he spoke to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio about the COVID-19 relief package and programs to aid businesses. “Miami-Dade County and the Beacon Council are studying the legislation… to assure we get all that we deserve from the federal government.”

He also reported that American Airlines had significantly cut its flights and, as the third largest employer in Miami-Dade, the impact might be severe. “This will be especially hard for us here in Miami-Dade County,” he said.

“This is a situation unlike any other and it will likely get worse before it gets better.”

Tell us something we don’t know. Like, is the National Guard that was arriving in Broward, coming here, too? Especially as our first responders become exposed and infected to coronavirus? How many county police and firefighters are out already? What’s the plan to stop the looting you just know is coming with stores closed and people out of work? When are we going to get access to widespread testing?

These things are much more important to us than any financial relief package. We are facing an existential threat. It’s an opportunity for him to really lead. Instead, he’s following.

And he keeps repeating the same warnings we already hear everywhere else about six feet for social distancing and elderly being extra vulnerable and how we have to assume everyone is carrying coronavirus and how the numbers will increase as more testing is done and yada yada yada. Oh and wash your hands!

No kidding?

Miami-Dade Commissioners are among those who are getting frustrated at the lack of real information.

“We’re included in regular briefings by the mayor’s staff, mostly about things that have been decided,” said Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, who is running to replace the termed out Gimenez. “There has been no opportunity for commissioners in a formal way to weigh in and have input.”

Levine Cava has asked to have a virtual, remote meeting accessible to the public as soon as possible to discuss response efforts.

Said Xavier Suarez, another mayoral candidate: “I’ve asked to be consulted before the next order.”

Carlos Gimenez, coronavirus, COVID-19, Francis Suarez, transit

Day 5 of COVID-19 in Miami-Dade: more closures, masks and tests coming added by Ladra on March 20, 2020
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