Mandatory face masks imposed where Spring Breakers partied as rest of US was locked down

'It will apply to people working in or visiting grocery stores'

A Miami county has imposed mandatory face masks for essential workers and customers, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced on Thursday that all residents had to wear a face mask while in specific public spaces.

“It will apply to people working in or visiting grocery stores, restaurants, take-out counters, pharmacies, construction sites and those folks taking public transit or vehicles for hire,” Mr Gimenez said.

In order to avoid any confusion, Mr Gimenez clarified that a mask is defined as a “covering which snugly covers the face and mouth.”

The county was in the news in March, after footage showed people continuing their spring break holidays, despite social distancing advice.

Mr Gimenez took the decision to close all the marinas and boat ramps in the county, after it became clear that spring break parties were continuing to take place.

The mayor said that he had seen images that showed people still “partying on their boats in close proximity,” adding that he “had to issue an order to close all recreational boating activities.”

He added that “my parks department, my police department said that on Saturday things got a little bit out of hand and then I saw a flier for a big party on a sandbar on Sunday, then I said, ‘Enough is enough.’”

Mr Gimenez criticised those on spring break, saying that “young people think they are invincible and they think, ‘even if I get it, it’s not going to be a big deal.’”

He added: “What they fail to understand though is that when they get it, then they can pass it on to their parents or their grandparents and it is a big deal to their parents and their grandparents and there is more evidence now that even young people are getting hit pretty hard.”

Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order on 1 April, after people had been ignoring social distancing advice for weeks.

Mr Desantis previously refused to close the beaches and told reporters “no matter what you do, you’re going to have a class of folks who are going to do whatever the hell they want to.”

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 466,396 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 16,703.