Monroe County and Key West declare state of emergency. Bars and beaches stay open, for now

David Goodhue
·3 min read

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Monroe County and the city of Key West declared a state of emergency Sunday in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While neither the city nor the county has immediate plans to close beaches, bars or other large gathering places, the move makes such decisions easier to implement.

Part of Monroe County’s declaration is the banning of all gatherings of 50 people or more on county property through at least March 22. It is urging businesses and organizers to stop or limit such events.

“As much as I hate it, we need to try to avoid any areas where people will be in close proximity to others,” Monroe Mayor Heather Carruthers said in a statement. “For these critical weeks, it is highly recommended that for your safety and the safety of others and to help us ‘flatten the curve,’ you avoid crowds and keep at least six feet away from others.”

Tourist stop by the historic Captain’s Saloon, the original Hemingway bar, in Key West captured with Hipstamatic. The Captain’s Saloon was owned by David Wolkowsky’s father and was given to him as a inheritance and is one of the reasons that Wolkowsky returned back to Key West.
Tourist stop by the historic Captain’s Saloon, the original Hemingway bar, in Key West captured with Hipstamatic. The Captain’s Saloon was owned by David Wolkowsky’s father and was given to him as a inheritance and is one of the reasons that Wolkowsky returned back to Key West.

Carruthers, a real estate agent, said she understands the gravity of decisions that impact tourism. From 2000 to 2013, she owned a 38-room guest house in Key West.

“We understand the importance of tourism to our economy and are working to balance our primary responsibility to protect public health and safety with the realities of life for so many in the Florida Keys,” she said.

The original declaration was for gatherings of 250 or more, but was reduced hours later.

The Key West declaration, made by Mayor Teri Johnston, allows city officials “to respond quickly to a fluid public health emergency,” city spokeswoman Alyson Crean said.

As of Sunday night, there are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, in Monroe County, including in Key West. Crean said the declaration allows the city to quickly make major decisions if this changes.

“This could include the ability to cancel large events,” she said.

The declaration also allows the city to recoup money spent on responding to the virus, Crean said.

The county, in its declaration, acknowledged that the likelihood of the Keys staying free of COVID-19 is dwindling fast as confirmed cases in South Florida spiked over the weekend.

The Keys are packed with tourists because March is the peak of the busy winter season, and the island chain, especially Key West, is also packed with young people visiting the Southernmost City for college spring break.

Two other South Florida tourist-dependent cities, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, announced Sunday that they were closing stretches of their public beaches in efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Lissette Avila’s wedding was scheduled for next Saturday at the Play Largo in Key Largo. The Miami Realtor said she and her fiance “made the difficult decision to postpone” over the weekend before the state of emergency was announced.

Her hotel allowed her to cancel her reservation without penalty, but some of her guests, who are flying in from states including California, Colorado and New York, say the hotels they booked are not being as accommodating, “which is really sad,” she said in an email Monday.