Beaches in the Keys will close this week in advance of July 4 due to COVID-19 spread
Florida Keys leaders Monday said they would uniformly close county and Key West beaches for the long July 4 holiday, starting at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The news came as the Keys Monday reported a daily record high of positive cases of the novel coronavirus, 17, - to make a new total of 236.
That’s more than double what the Keys had before it officially reopened to tourists on June 1 by taking down two checkpoints at the entrances to the island chain meant to keep out visitors.
Before the Keys took down its checkpoints, which went up March 27, the number of known cases was 108.
The beaches, including Higgs, Smathers and Rest beaches, are set to reopen the morning of Tuesday, July 7.
Monroe County will also close its parks for the same time period. Key West hasn’t decided whether to close its parks, like the Truman Waterfront Park and Bayview, city spokeswoman Alyson Crean said.
“This is in conjunction with the closures in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties,” said county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood in a brief news release.
The state’s Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, which is Key West’s most beloved shoreline, did not announce any changes on Monday morning. But since its reopening after the initial COVID-19 shut down in May, it has limited crowd sizes.
The county and city closures come after Friday’s state order suspending consumption of alcohol in bars — which went immediately into effect.
In Key West before that rule, three popular bars said they would close temporarily because a worker at each had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
One bar, the Roost, said it was closing anyway, even though no one there had tested positive.
The Fourth of July celebration in the Florida Keys has changed dramatically in recent days.
The Key West City Commission on Friday canceled the island’s Fourth of July fireworks display, put on together with a local Rotary club. Key West spends about $40,000 on the fireworks.
Also on Friday, Key West leaders tightened up the city’s mandatory mask law, which now requires people to wear masks inside in public places and also outside if they cannot stay at least six feet away from others.
People may remove their masks while eating and drinking as long as they remain seated in a restaurant, according to the new ordinance.
The Key West law is punishable by a code compliance violation, a civil citation or a criminal misdemeanor that can come with up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.
“These measures rely on the personal responsibility of each of us,” said Crean. “These directives are put in place to ensure the continued health and safety of our community and our economy.”
City Commissioner Clayton Lopez said he emailed City Manager Greg Veliz Sunday night to ask him to work to close Key West beaches for the July 4 holiday.
“It had to be done by executive order,” Lopez posted on Facebook on Monday. “But, I don’t care how it’s done or who gets credit as long as the people’s safety comes first!”
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Beaches in the Keys will close this week in advance of July 4 due to COVID-19 spread."
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