Local governments are leaning toward leaving South Florida’s beaches open, and hotels are offering deals for a pandemic staycation. Their goal is offering these amenities with the hope the public follows the rules on wearing masks and social distancing.
Here’s what you can expect over the Sept. 4-7 weekend.
Yes, so far, the beaches are scheduled to stay open for Labor Day after South Florida kept them closed over Independence Day as a precaution. But government leaders in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties are closely watching the COVID statistics that track new cases, positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
The three counties have been coordinating their beach operations during the pandemic. “If Miami-Dade shuts, Broward will shut,” said Stacy Ritter, CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We have to hope Miami-Dade chooses to keep their beaches open.”
A Broward County spokeswoman said Friday the county intends to keep the beaches open on Labor Day. So does Fort Lauderdale.
“As of right now, the City of Fort Lauderdale has no plans to close the beach on Labor Day,” said spokesman Chaz Adams.
