How long will the Miami curfew last?

SPRING Break 2021 is in full swing for college kids across the United States.

Miami spring breakers were under a strict curfew and in a state of emergency on March 20 as a SWAT team was called to the city because of the revelers.

How long will the Miami curfew last?

It’s unclear how long the curfew will remain in effect, but Miami City Manager Raul Aguila told the Herald that he recommends keeping the rules in place through at least April 12.

Partiers in the Florida city had become so uncontrollable that the curfew was put in place and SWAT teams were sent out to enforce it.

Commenting on the decision to declare a state of emergency, Aguila said, "As we hit the peak of the peak of spring break, we are quite simply overwhelmed."

Why is there a curfew in Miami?

At a news conference, officials blamed overwhelming and out-of-control spring break crowds for the curfew.

Partiers in the Florida city had become so uncontrollable that the curfew was put in place and SWAT teams were sent out to enforce it.

A SWAT vehicle was filmed moving down Ocean Drive – a popular party street – telling people that they need to disperse.

Cops eventually began firing pepper balls – projectiles filled with pepper spray – into the crowds, according to reports.

Revelers began fleeing the scene in a chaotic fashion afterward. It's unclear at this time if anyone was injured.

The week the curfew was instated,  150 people were arrested in Miami after brawls broke out.

Dan Gelber, Miami Beach Mayor said of the weekend: "It is a really difficult situation."

Speaking to local news station WPLG he said: "A lot of people are coming here and they are coming here with the wrong intentions."

What time is the curfew in Miami?

The curfew runs from 8pm until 6am and is effective immediately.

The spring break chaos comes at a particularly contentious time during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as Dr Anthony Fauci has warned Americans against "declaring a Covid victory prematurely."

The infectious diseases expert, 80, made the claim in an interview with MSNBC’s Christ Hayes.

In recent weeks Covid cases across the US have been flattening out at around 55,000 per day, prompting some to speculate the pandemic is nearly over as the vaccine rollout continues and warmer weather is on the way.

But Dr Fauci warned there could still be another spike in cases.

“Instead of continuing to go down at a sharp line it's plateaued. Once it's done that, there's a high risk of another resurgence. We've seen that with previous surges. The other three [surges] that we've had in this country,” the leading doctor said. 

Dr Peter Hotez, of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said: "It's a perfect storm."

"You've got the B.1.1.7 variant accelerating in Florida.

"You've got all these 20-year-old kids. None of them are going to have masks. They're all going to be drinking. They're having pretty close, intimate contact.

"And then, after that's all done, they're going to go back to their home states and spread the B.1.1.7 variant."

Are there any exceptions to the curfew?

The 8 pm. curfew affects South Beach’s main commercial strips — Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue, Collins Avenue and Española Way — from Fifth to 16th streets, according to the Miami Herald.

Area restaurants, which were previously allowed to make food deliveries until 6 am, are now prohibited from staying open past midnight for deliveries.

Sidewalk cafe operations and COVID-era outdoor restaurant expansions must close Saturday at 7pm but may reopen Sunday morning, a city spokeswoman said.

In a press release, the city said outdoor seating would be suspended outright for the duration of the emergency period.

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