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Miami-Dade County mayor lifts indoor dining coronavirus restrictions

People dining outside a restaurant in Miami in July. Photo: Johnny Louis/Getty Images

Miami-Dade County, Florida, Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced on Thursday that restaurant dining rooms can reopen at the end of August, the Miami Herald reports.

Why it matters: The move comes after Gimenez faced pressure from local leaders and restaurant owners to lift emergency restrictions on indoor dining to fight the spread of the coronavirus. The limits had been in place for nearly two months.

By the numbers: Miami-Dade, one of the largest hotspots for the virus in the country, has been Florida's hardest-hit county, with 152,612 confirmed coronavirus cases and 2,253 deaths to date, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The big picture: This will be the second time dining rooms reopen since the start of the pandemic. Gimenez reimposed a ban on indoor dining in early July after his county experienced a surge in coronavirus cases.

  • The mayor issued a 10pm to 6am curfew, as the state recorded its highest single-day coronavirus spike in July. Gimenez will not push back the curfew, but said he will revisit the issue after the Labor Day holiday weekend.
  • Restaurants can resume table service inside on Aug. 31, though they must limit indoor capacity to 50%
  • Requirements now include that eateries have air conditioning on, open windows and doors, and have no more than six people per table.

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer
Dec 3, 2020 - Health

WH coronavirus task force: States must "flatten the curve" to sustain health system

A walk-up Covid-19 testing site in San Fernando, California, on Nov. 24, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The White House coronavirus task force warned states "the COVID risk to all Americans is at a historic high" and to brace for another surge following Thanksgiving, per a report that emerged Wednesday.

Driving the news: "If you are under 40, you need to assume you became infected during the Thanksgiving period if you gathered beyond your immediate household," said the report, dated Nov. 29, first published by the Center for Public Integrity.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of China
Dec 3, 2020 - World

Azar's UN remarks to take aim at China

Alex Azar during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing. Photo credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is expected to give a speech at a special session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday that hails U.S. progress on coronavirus vaccines while criticizing — though not directly naming — China.

Why it matters: U.S. government officials are concerned that China will use the UN special session to spread disinformation about the origins of the virus and China's early missteps in handling the pandemic.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Orion Rummler, Alayna Treene
Updated Dec 1, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Bipartisan group of lawmakers unveils $908 billion COVID stimulus proposal

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) in the Capitol in 2018. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday proposed a $908 billion coronavirus stimulus package, in one of the few concrete steps toward COVID relief made by Congress in several months.

Why it matters: Recent data shows that the economic recovery is floundering as coronavirus cases surge and hospitals threaten to be overwhelmed heading into what is likely to be a grim winter.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow