Different rules about containing the COVID19 virus in different municipalities across Miami-Dade are confusing residents about the requirement of masks and causing yet more distrust in local governments that say one thing one day and something completely different the next.
Does anyone else remember a time when we were told that masks weren’t necessary and should be reserved for health 
care providers?
Today, you are required to wear a mask almost all the time unless you are in a car or your back yard. Except if you’re jogging or riding a bike, because really a mask can be more problematic during strenuous activity.
But that’s just in unincorporated Miami-Dade. In some cities, like Miami, Miami Beach, Aventura and Hialeah you have to wear a mask even if you are running or playing basketball. So if you’re riding your bike in one area and cross the border into the city of Miami without a mask, for example, you are setting yourself up for a $500 fine or actual jail time. Violations are punishable by 60 days in jail. No joke.
Read related: COVID19 spike in Miami-Dade makes Mayor Carlos Gimenez warn businesses
On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health recorded the highest number of positive test results yet with 5,500 residents having COVID19. The daily numbers for Miami-Dade are no longer on the website dashboard for some reason, but the total number of positives has gone up to 27,778 — more than a quarter of the state’s total. Hospitalizations are also up to 3,795 and deaths in Date are approaching the 1,000 mark.
The rising numbers is what has caused some cities to get stricter with the face masks. Isn’t anybody looking at the reopening of businesses as a possible cause for the spike?
In Miami-Dade, you don’t have to wear a mask outside if you can stand six feet apart from anyone else. In some cities, you have to wear the mask all the time, no exceptions.
You can go to restaurants that are open, only at 50%, but you have to wear a mask when you eat? How do we do that?
The arbitrary “new normal” rules are all over the place and have been the butt of many jokes. The OnlyInDade 
Instagram account posted an image of the different rules by city that might be funny — if it weren’t so tragically true.
“In Kendall, you must wear face masks unless you’re uncomfortable Bro… In Hialeah you don’t need to wear face mask because ese COVID19 es una conspiracy.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Tuesday that most of the businesses were complying with the rules, which include requiring masks and social distancing among people who are not together. County police — who apparently have a lot more time on their hands now — have been checking on businesses, parks, beaches and marinas, both in the unincorporated areas and in cities that are not enforcing the county orders, said Gimenez, who drove around Miami and Miami Beach over the weekend “and found many people outdoors too close together and not wearing masks.”
Read related: Miami Beach mystery mailer attacks ‘dictator’ Dan Gelber’s COVID response
On Monday, Miami-Dade Police checked in on 7,011 businesses, found 17 in non-compliance for minor violations and ordered five businesses to close, the mayor added. A whopping 7,011 businesses. That means that in 12 hours, they would have had to check on an average 584 businesses an hour. How many police officers do we have doing this? And what units are they coming from?
“The county is finding excellent compliance in unincorporated areas, but I remain concerned about lax enforcement in 
some cities,” Gimenez said, probably taking another swipe at Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who came under fire recently for a photo on social media that showed him not wearing a mask at a crowded restaurant in the Miami Design District that was shut down for not following the rules days later. Don’t the rules apply to him? Even if he is certain he is immune — and there is still some question as to how long immunity can last — he should be setting an example. This week, after making masks mandatory anywhere in public, Suarez distributed free masks to residents in Allapattah.
Gimenez also said that while county cops will keep monitoring violations at businesses countywide, evening in municipalities, “cities that are requiring masks at all times outdoors must beef up their enforcement and shut down establishments that are not following these life-saving rules.
“Tough talk won’t scare away the virus. Only tough enforcement — to make sure everyone is following the rules — will make a difference and stop the spread,” Gimenez said, adding that he had talked to the Miami-Dade League of Cities about establishing some protocol of cooperation.
How about some uniformity?
To wear or not to wear a mask question depends on where, causes confusion added by Ladra on
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