City of Doral Declares State of Emergency and Takes Measures to Prevent Spread of COVID -19
By: Maggie Santos
Communications & Protocol Manager
City of Doral
On March 12th Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez declared a State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic joining Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida. This order allows the City of Doral to quickly take the necessary steps to safeguard the health and safety of our residents, employees, and visitors. Procedures like the procurement of critical supplies and materials are expedited during emergency situations such as this. Along with the order, all scheduled City events and workshops have been postponed until further notice, including signature events like Ritmo Doral and EGGstravaganza.
On March 16th, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandate of limiting gatherings of 50 or more, all City community centers were closed, spring break camps cancelled, and all sports practices and games postponed. At that time, all outside and open park spaces remained open. City staff continued to regularly disinfect the parks and hand sanitizer stations were placed throughout. The community continued to be reminded to wash their hands frequently and practice social distancing of at least six feet. City of Doral Police Department Code Compliance was also supporting Miami-Dade County with the enforcement of their measures that called for the closing of all restaurant dining rooms. The county order also required all bars, clubs, restaurants, and movie theaters in Miami- Dade County to cut their capacity by 50 percent, up to a maximum of 250 patrons at a time, regardless of original capacity. This also applied to banquet halls and hotels facilitating the practice of social distancing. Take-out and delivery services were allowed to continue operating. We encourage you to support your local business during this challenging time by ordering from takeout or delivery from restaurants in our community. Several of them are offering great deals that you can find at www.cityofdoral.com/covid19 (Support Local Tab).
As the COVID-19 situation continued to evolve on a daily basis, the City’s leadership continued to take measures following recommendations from the lead agencies to help prevent the spread of the virus. On March 19th, Mayor Bermudez signed an Emergency Order for additional measures that included complete closure of all City parks and a modified schedule of the Doral Government Center. The City also supported Miami-Dade County’s Emergency Order 07-20, which among other things, restricted or closed non-essential retail, private educational facilities, casinos and other recreational and entertainment activities.
Doral was one of the first municipalities in the county, issuing a “Safer at Home” Order on March 25th. This order, which was in addition to previously issued Miami-Dade County Orders (including Order 07-20), which were applicable to and being followed by Doral, requires all residents to remain at home until further notice. Under this order, only essential travel is permitted to seek goods and services from essential retail establishments or for commuting to essential jobs. If you must travel for these critical reasons, always practice social distancing and other guidelines as advised by the CDC.
On April 3rd, Mayor Bermudez signed an Emergency Order imposing additional requirements on all essential commercial and retail establishments. These establishments were ordered to comply with the following:
- limit capacity and monitor entrances and exits to reduce their maximum occupancy load by 50 percent in those areas where food is sold.
- close all salad bars and other self-serve food stations with the exception of prepackaged, “grab and go” items.
- not distribute free samples or conduct tastings
- permit only one family member to visit a store at one time. Exemptions would be made for single parents, caregivers and other situations where it is not feasible to leave a person home
- require customers lining up at checkouts, to follow floor markings on where to stand in order to stand apart from other shoppers.
Additionally, all essential businesses are encouraged, to provide hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes to employees and customers, to implement procedures for custodial staff to sanitize frequent touchpoints throughout the day, and to allow employees to wear masks, gloves, or other personal protective equipment.
Doral Police and Code Compliance Officers will be educating our businesses and enforcing this order. Businesses not in compliance can be reported to codecompliance@cityofdoral.com or 305-593-6680.
City services have been further modified, always with the goal of preserving the wellbeing of the community. Beginning April 6th, non- essential City employees will be working remotely until further notice, in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Employees who have been determined to be able to work remotely will do so and will continue to be accessible by e-mail and phone for the duration of this temporary relocation. Staff will remain ready to serve and assist constituents in a virtual capacity. We encourage constituents who have questions or need assistance to call (305) 593-6725 or visit the department directory on the City’s website.
Additionally, Doral Trolley service will also be suspending until further notice.
As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation in South Florida continues to evolve, the City of Doral remains in contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Florida Department of Health and Miami-Dade County, following their guidelines to safeguard our community from the possible spread of the virus. We encourage the community to follow the City on social media — @cityofdoral (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and visit www.cityofdoral.com/covid19.