The mayor of Miami Beach has ripped maskless spring breakers for flocking to Florida and running “wild” — saying they “seem to have forgotten that there’s a pandemic.”
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber is worried spring breakers might cause another COVID-19 outbreak. EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty ImagesMayor Dan Gelber told USA Today that pent-up partiers are flocking to the Sunshine State after it lifted most coronavirus restrictions — sparking mayhem with mass arrests and cops even firing pepper balls to stop a feared riot.
Maskless people enjoy themselves as they walk along Ocean Drive on March 16, 2021, in Miami Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images“I think it might be a little bit related to just people looking to let loose after being pent up, but some people are coming here with sort of an anything-goes mentality,” Gelber told the paper.
“Even if it’s just a small percentage … it’s a small percentage of an enormous amount of people,” Gelber complained.
An artist performs at an outdoor restaurant to maskless patrons in Miami, Florida, on March 5, 2021. Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesHe warned of a “triple threat” facing the beach hot spot, as he fears it could cause another surge in COVID-19 cases just as infections plateaued.
“We’ve got too many people, too many coming with a desire to go wild and we have the virus … It really poses a multifaceted peril for us,” he told the outlet.
People gather on a beach in Miami, Florida, on March 5, 2021, amid fears of another COVID-19 outbreak. Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images“The number of people not wearing masks or just not bothering with any of the healthy practices is very disturbing,” the mayor added.
A crowded Miami Beach on March 5, 2021. Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images“An enormous number of people are coming our way, and many of them, if not most, seem to have forgotten that there’s a pandemic.”
