Miami Beach mayor declares emergency as 'wall-to-wall' crowds descend on city, sparking virus fears

Miami Beach police officers.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Miami Beach, Florida, Mayor Dan Gelber on Saturday declared a state of emergency, set an 8 p.m. curfew, and closed roads in the entertainment district as large crowds arrived in the city, sparking fears of another coronavirus surge.

Law enforcement officials said people flocked to Miami Beach because they were looking for a place with fewer pandemic restrictions — Florida reopened earlier than most states — but city leadership thinks it's gone too far, The New York Times reports.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.