Visitors will see a big change on Key West’s Duval Street during the holiday weekend

Even with beaches and bars closed, Key West still expects crowds this Fourth of July weekend.

And they’re expected to converge on Duval Street at a time when the Florida Keys are hitting daily record highs in new cases of the novel coronavirus.

How can the city help ensure social distancing?

To start, city leaders Tuesday said they will close most of Duval to cars and turn it into a pedestrian-only walkway for this weekend. That means only pedestrians may use Duval, spreading out into the street, from Truman Avenue to Front Street, from noon. to 5 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

The time frame will allow businesses to receive deliveries, said Mayor Teri Johnston.

The vehicle ban includes bicycles. So you’ll have to walk them along that stretch of Duval, said city spokeswoman Alyson Crean.

This Fourth of July weekend will have limitations throughout the Keys, along with the historically heavy traffic on U.S. 1. But city leaders say they are ready.

“Nobody handles crowds better than we do,” said City Manager Greg Veliz. “Obviously, the rules are a little different this time. We’re prepared. I can’t imagine Fourth of July will be bigger than Fantasy Fest and nobody is on the beach during Fantasy Fest.”

As for the annual Fantasy Fest, an adult-themed 10-day celebration, organizers said they’ll announce in early July what their plans are this year due to the coronavirus.

For now, the city wants to see how July 4 plays out as far as tourists go.

Monroe County and the city both announced Monday they were closing their beaches and parks from 5 p.m. Thursday until the morning of Tuesday, July 7. This aligns with beach closures in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. That means Higgs Beach and Smathers Beach are off-limits, along with Mallory Square and the Truman Waterfront Park.

Beaches in Marathon and Islamorada also will be closed.

Sunset Celebration, which is held nightly at Mallory Square in Key West, is also postponed during what’s typically a lucrative weekend for the performers and artists.

“We all just started making money again and now will face five days without work,” said Linda McCall, a Sunset Celebration artist who is secretary on the board of directors.

McCall has kept her sense of humor intact, though.

“We’ll be back to abnormal on Tuesday, July 7,” she said, when asked when the decidedly quirky event will return.

The COVID-19-related closures are hurting businesses that were already hurting, said Scott Atwell, CEO and executive vice president of the Key West Chamber of Commerce.

“People have been canceling reservations,” Atwell said. “I know businesses are laying people off.”

The state has suspended alcohol consumption at all bars. And although you can still get a drink on Duval Street, restaurants and liquor stores, the famous watering holes like the Bull and Sloppy Joe’s on Duval remain closed.

The state will have its parks, including Fort Zachary Taylor and Bahia Honda, closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday, said the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

And Key West had already canceled its annual July 4 fireworks display, all due to the fears of COVID-19 spreading.

“We made the painful decision,” Johnston said, of scrapping the fireworks. “We have also made the decision we are going to close down our beaches. That again was a very difficult decision.”

The decision came down to whether the city could keep people safe in the age of COVID-19, the mayor said.

“We had a very frank discussion and the answer came back very clearly, no we can’t,” Johnston said.

On Tuesday, the Keys hit a daily record with 23 additional cases reported by the state Department of Health. The Keys now have 259 cases of COVID-19.

That’s more than double the number the Keys had on June 1, when the checkpoints keeping out tourists were up at the entrances to the island chain.

At the same time, the Keys are about to host Fourth of July weekend, without knowing how many tourists will show up.

Key West and the county both have mandatory mask laws.

But Key West’s is tougher, as the city commission made it a civil citation, code compliance violation and a criminal misdemeanor.

“You need to have a mask on while you’re walking in until you are seated,” Johnston said Tuesday in a Facebook video post. “After you get your check, put that mask back on as you get up to leave the restaurant.”

Another change made in advance of the long holiday weekend: Key West police officers are now also designated code compliance officers, according to Veliz.

“Therefore, a refusal to sign a civil citation is itself an arrestable offense,” Veliz wrote in a letter to Police Chief Sean Brandenburg on June 29.

Beaches in the Keys will close this week in advance of July 4 due to COVID-19 spread